


Caged Creatures

by runswithstars



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Alpha Owen, Angst, Dinosaurs, Eventual Smut, Everyone Needs A Hug, Expletives, Genetically Modified Owen, I Tried, Indominus Rex - Freeform, M/M, Owen is 28, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Prodigy Gray, Protective Owen, Raptor Squad, Raptors, Romance, Sexual Tension, Special Zach, Suspicious Henry Wu, Zach is 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-02-14 06:33:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13001922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runswithstars/pseuds/runswithstars
Summary: Things would be easier if Zach was normal. If he was smart, if he liked girls, if he couldn't understand animals. Everything about him is wrong, but he knows that, even still, Owen shouldn't be able to understand them too. They shouldn't be drawn to each other like they are.A story of self-acceptance, science fiction, and finding what you didn't know you needed.(And dinosaurs make a cameo in there somewhere.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, Zach is 17, Gray is 11, and Owen is 28. (My attempt at lessening the large age gap...it didn't go so well.)
> 
> I may or may not have read almost all of the Zach/Owen stories on here, so I figured I'd give it a go myself. Hope you aren't thoroughly disappointed.
> 
> (I legit am watching and pausing the movie as I write this story.)
> 
> This story is inspired somewhat by "Raptor" by Chasyn. I would suggest you check it out, it's a good story. :)
> 
> x.

**1.**

Zach _hated_ being near animals. It wasn’t so much the creatures themselves, but rather his freak-of-nature ability to understand them. Of all the possible superpowers in the universe, he got stuck as Dr. Doolittle. He had managed to do a reasonable job either avoiding them or blocking it out (both of which much harder than they sounded) so far, despite living in the suburbs where _everyone_ had a dog.

For this exact reason, Zach was less than thrilled with the prospect of visiting his mythical Aunt Claire—mythical in the same sense as Bigfoot and the Chupacabra, with confirmed sightings, and yet no hard evidence of existence. And to top it all off, he would be spending the entire trip babysitting Gray, the _prodigy._ The very word made Zach sneer, plunging deeper into his headphones.

Surrounded by animals—man-made or not—and his annoyingly enthusiastic little brother for several weeks just sounded like a _dream_.

As Zach watched the massive island approach, he snorted in appreciation. At least it would get him away from his joke of a relationship. Zach knew he should feel _something_ other than annoyance for her, but his cold-shoulder and indifferent attitude seemed to actually spur her on. At least it gave him a slight semblance of normalcy. Indeed, everyone thought he was a regular, sullen, closed-off, moody teenager. 

On the ferry, he watched a group of teenagers closely—three boys and two girls. They looked a little older, maybe college students. He watched the way the shirt rode up on the tall one with dark skin, watched the sun glint off the exposed mid-drift. His eyes shifted and he met eyes with one of the girls. Zach tore his gaze away, looking down at the water on the other side of the railing he was leaning against, and swallowed deeply. 

Almost normal. 

Their mother had assured them that Aunt Claire would be waiting for them on the docks, but Zach couldn’t say he was surprised or disappointed that Claire’s assistant had picked them up instead. Either way, a name card would have been necessary.

Throughout their time being carted around by the assistant—glued to her phone, great babysitting choice, Aunt Claire—Zach kept his headphones on, ignoring Gray to the best of his abilities.

“Why are you always listening to music?” his brother asked on the monorail. “Come on, you’re gonna miss the important stuff.”

 _To drown out the animals, you, everything._  

Zach didn’t respond, instead turning his head further to gaze out the window beside him. 

It helped that there were so many people, so much noise. He could blend in, disappear, never be found again. 

Gray ran everywhere, so full of energy and excitement and passion. It would have exhausted Zach, but he had the good fortune of having an adult who was being paid not to lose track of Gray. For once, Zach could let his attention waver from the golden child.

Their hotel room was nice—the nicest Zach had ever been in, which wasn’t saying much—and he wouldn’t mind waiting out the rest of the vacation here. They had VIP access to the rides, and Zach knew at that news that he would see very little of the hotel. After all, what Gray wanted, Gray got. 

Gray swung open the curtains in their room, opening up the best view in the hotel to overlook the attractions of Isla Nublar. Zach looked out beside him, taking in all the people, all the greenery—all the presumed dinosaurs.

Would they be louder? Chattier? Angrier? Zach could already feel a migraine coming on with the thought of having to work harder to block them out.

The first stop on their whirlwind tour of prehistoric Hell was the museum. Zach thought this might be his favorite attraction of the trip. He didn’t understand why Gray was so obsessed with dinosaurs, but for Zach, the best kind of animal was a fossil—it couldn’t speak to him, but he could still connect the bits and pieces he’d picked up over the years to it in his head. He’d learned from experience rather than textbooks certain behaviors and patterns and survival techniques of creatures. 

Whereas his girlfriend’s parents yelled at their cat when it wouldn’t shut up, Zach was the only one who knew that it cried because it was lonely. They’d give it more food in its bowl and walk away, sure that a meow was only for sustenance. The cat had begun to seek out comfort in food instead of humans. No one realized how similar animals were to people. Sometimes Zach wanted to cry at the ignored voices—for the animals and for himself—but he would put up another wall, close another window, and look away. Put his headphones back on. 

Life was easier when you didn’t see, couldn’t hear. 

Zach bit the inside of his cheek when Gray started showing off his genius IQ with the interactive elements in the museum. He hated sibling bonding. And oh hey, there was Bigfoot Dearing in the flesh. The myth, the legend, the bottled ginger. 

Just like Zach’s preferred method of interaction, it was “hi, here’s a pass for food, there’s your caretaker Zara, bye.” He briefly wondered if she’d had to relearn their names and ages and faces. Zach hadn’t seen Claire in seven years—why should their shared blood make them anything less than the strangers they were? Gray was eleven. He probably didn’t even remember Claire. Why was he disappointed that she wouldn’t be spending time with them?

Avoiding conversation and ignoring his environment behind headphones worked great until the raptor paddock. 

They stood outside the enclosure with the rest of the tourists, Zara tapping away on her phone, Gray as close as he could get without losing a hand. His eyes snapped here and there, trying to find the velociraptors. They were hiding. 

“Zara, where are they?” Gray whined. 

“Don’t worry kid, they’ll show when it’s feeding time,” a deep voice replied. 

Both Gray and Zach whirled around to find a man standing next to Zara, eyes shining, smile pulling at the corners of his lips. He was older—maybe in his early thirties—and tall, his body defined with lean muscle.

He held both of their interest.

“When’s that?” Gray asked.

The man grinned with white teeth as he bent down to get eye-level with Gray. “Don’t worry kid, it’ll be in just a few minutes.”

The younger boy nearly buzzed with excitement. His eyes looked back and forth from the viewing wall to the older man. 

“Oh good, Barry. These are Miss Dearing’s nephews,” Zara introduced, looking up from her phone for only a minute.

Barry nodded at them both. Zach looked away and put his headphones back on, but with the sound off. He listened through his protective barrier. 

“I’m Gray, that’s Zach. Do you work here?”

“I do indeed, Gray. I assist the lead raptor trainer, Owen. Those girls inside are good friends.”

Gray’s eyes got impossibly bigger and his mouth dropped. “How many are there? What are their names?”

Sounds in the crowd caused the party to look out the viewing wall to see four raptors coming out of the shrubbery and into the clearing, chasing a pig. The pig ran into a slot in the wall, the door closing behind it. 

Their heads turned up expectantly to the catwalk above the clearing, and Zach’s eyes trailed up as well to find a tall man with wide shoulders, his frame filled in with pure muscle. His mouth went dry and he couldn’t help but lick his lips. 

“Those are the sisters. That small one with the scar on her head? That’s Echo. Next to her, the brown one with the stripes is Charlie. Delta is the green one. The one in the middle there with the blue racing stripes is aptly named Blue.”

Zach tried to pay attention to what Barry was saying, tried to tune in to the forming crowd around them, but the second he heard the first screech from a raptor, he turned his music back on. His eyes drifted up to Owen, and he watched the man unabashedly. 

They’d named the dinosaurs after the NATO alphabet. Zach looked around. But this wasn’t a military operation. It was an amusement park, an overgrown zoo. 

The raptors reacted to Owen much as trained dogs would. Zach didn’t want to see this. He wanted to see bloodthirsty, vicious monsters. He didn’t want to see them like this, like pets. 

Zach looked away. 

Eventually the crowd started dispersing, and he guessed the show was over. Zara began leading them away, except Gray grabbed his arm and yanked him in the opposite direction instead. Zach pushed his headphones down to hang around his neck.

“Dude, where’s the fire?”

They stopped in front of metal bars, away from the viewing wall. It was a holding cell, trapped in between the outside world and the paddock. Owen was in there, and Barry was just outside of it, talking to him. 

Zach’s heart thudded in his throat. He clenched his jaw and yanked his arm out of Gray’s grasp, putting his hands in his pockets and following Gray the rest of the way at his own pace.

Barry laughed good-naturedly when he saw that they had followed him. “Wanted to meet the man in charge?” At Gray’s grinning enthusiasm, he turned to Owen. “Owen, these are Claire’s nephews, that’s Gray and that’s Zach. This here is Owen, Father of Raptors.”

Owen smirked, the sides of his eyes crinkling in amusement. Gray launched full-speed ahead with his mouth. Zach tried to look anywhere else, but his eyes always returned to Owen like a magnet.

“Barry told us the names of the dinosaurs. Is Blue the leader? She looks like she would be.”

“Good call, but Blue’s the Beta.”

Gray perked up. “Then who’s the Alpha?”

“You’re looking at him, kid.”

Zach’s head snapped up, eyes wide, as he took in Owen’s confident smirk. That should not have been as hot as it was—Owen being a velociraptor alpha should not have have caused his lower stomach to twist with warm arousal. 

Owen’s eyes cut over to capture Zach’s. His heart thrummed loudly and he struggled to swallow.

He needed to get out of here. 

Thankfully, out of the Heavens flew Zara to rescue them, harp in hand. “There you two are. We are ten minutes behind schedule. Your aunt wanted you to have the full experience.”

“But I want to stay here,” Gray whined. “Can I meet the raptors?”

“Maybe another time, kid,” Owen said with a kind smile down at Gray.

His eyes drifted up to meet Zach’s before the boy ripped his head away and led the three of them in the opposite direction of dangerous blue eyes.

Later that night, as Zach stood under the cold shower, he tried to swallow down his shame. But all he could picture was Owen’s blue blue eyes staring into his and that warm, muscular body that he had no right looking at.

Sleep came, but at the cost of the pill bottle stuffed under Zach's pillow.

He didn't dream. It was better that way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where it all goes downhill.
> 
> A thousand pardons for any errors. They will be corrected toot-sweet. After toot-sleep.
> 
> x

**2.**

Zach hated crowds, hated being surrounded, unable to escape. He didn’t get panic attacks, not anymore, but they still reminded him of walls closing in, too close, too small, too much, nothing at all.

The first day at the park had been…a lot. 

Even still, Zach would take getting mobbed by the crowds in the shopping plaza over going back to see the Velociraptors. Which of course was exactly what his brother wanted to do most.

“Let’s go back to the raptor exhibit,” Gray announced first-thing at breakfast in the dining room of the hotel. There were only a few other families scattered here and there at this time of morning. 

“What for? We were just there yesterday,” Zach said around a yawn, staring down his coffee. He blinked first. He grimaced as he took a gulp in defeat.

“Yeah, but Owen said he’d introduce us to the raptors ‘another time.’ _Today_ is ‘another time’!” Gray was practically vibrating in his seat with energy.

Zach groaned and almost fell asleep in his pancakes. His somnolence warred with a vague queasiness at the thought of going back. “You’re gonna bug him. The guy has better things to do.”

Gray pouted, stilling. “Why do you always have to be so sour? The velociraptors are _awesome._ It’s like you’re immune to _fun_.”

Zach glared. “I’m being realistic. No one wants to hang out with a kid. Our own parents ditched us—sent us off to an island in the middle of nowhere, so they can get us out of the way while they spill each other’s blood.”

Gray blinked. “I hope I never become a teenager,” Gray said, before returning to his eggs.

After breakfast, when Zara caught sight of Gray’s teary eyes, she all but ordered Zach to cheer him up. 

That was how they came to be in front of the raptor paddock, looking for Barry or Owen. Zach kept his headphones on, glaring at anyone who dared look his way.

A sigh of relief breathed past Zach’s parted lips when he saw that Gray’s exuberance and impatience had brought them to the exhibit before it had opened. For all of the hundreds of people on this island, there was no one here. It was eery in a way that Zach didn’t want to think about. 

“Now what?” Zach asked. “I don’t know the park schedule.” He placed his hands in his jacket pockets, eyes half-closed. His coffee had remained half-finished at breakfast. Taking a moment to rub his eyes, Zach sighed again. But when he reopened his eyes, Gray was gone.

Zach cursed, eyes wide alert now, looking around. Sudden adrenaline gripped him. “Gray!” he whisper-yelled. He was going to kill his brother once he found him. 

It took Zach a minute of searching before he heard a clang and heavy steps on metal. With utmost dread, Zach caught sight of Gray out of the corner of his eye on the catwalk. Right above the enclosure. 

Zach daren’t yell for Gray. Nothing that would draw the dinosaurs out into the clearing, that would grab their attention. Zach was only worried that his brother didn’t have the same reserves.

Searching almost frantically with his eyes, Zach spotted the service door that was ajar. He ran towards it, throwing it open and forcing himself not to throw his own body up the stairs and onto the catwalk. With a deep, shaky breath, he climbed them slowly and steadily, finally reaching the catwalk.

“Gray, we shouldn’t be up here. Let’s go,” Zach said.

“How cool would it be to see the raptors from up here?”

“It’s dangerous, Gray.”

“They can’t get to us up here,” Gray laughed.

Zach glared. His brother was supposed to be a genius. Not an ordinary eleven-year-old. He grabbed Gray’s arm and started pulling him toward the stairs.

Gray dug his feet into the metal and leaned back. “No! Why do you always have to ruin everything? Can’t you just have some fun for once?”

Zach yanked on Gray’s arm and he yelped. 

“Why do you hate me so much?”

They paused on the catwalk, Zach’s heart pounding in his ears. 

Gray took his moment of distraction and yanked his arm back. He hadn’t realized how slack Zach’s grip had gone, though, and used more force than necessary.

The high scream tore Zach’s lungs out of his chest. He turned to watch Gray slip through the bungee siding to the catwalk and fall— _downdowndown_ in slow motion. He landed with a cry of pain on his side.

Gray stared with wide eyes at the greenery, in the direction of the forest. It was too quiet. And then a distant snarl.

Zach wouldn’t be able to figure out how to get into the paddock in time to rescue Gray. With barely any hesitation, Zach leapt into the paddock after his brother, landing on his hands and knees.  

When he looked up, Charlie was snarling at them from the foliage. Echo stood beside her, head tilted with curiosity. 

No one had probably ever been in their cage before except for Owen.

There were only the two in front of them, and Zach got a horrible feeling. His eyes darted quickly to his left and right, and sure enough, they’d been surrounded. Delta was to his left, Blue to his right. 

Eyes darting back and forth between all of them, waiting for any sudden movements, Zach slowly shuffled until he was directly next to Gray. He put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, as if to make sure that he was still there, before gently moving Gray behind his own body. 

Gray’s small fingers grasped onto the material of Zach’s jacket, and he felt them shake.

The raptors came closer, with more intent in their gait. They stopped in a semi-circle in front of the brothers, eyes honed in, surveying, studying, waiting.

[Food.]

[Kill.]

[Pig.]

They were in a cage, and Zach’s heart lodged in his throat at the thought—that he would die in a cage, like an animal. 

“Please,” Zach whispered, the adrenaline and desperation overruling his secret. “Not a threat.”

[Not Alpha.]

[Not pack.]

[Other.]

Ever so slowly, Zach began sliding his feet backwards, guiding Gray to follow his lead. 

“Your Alpha…Owen. Owen’s your Alpha. He wouldn’t want you to eat me. He’d be very angry.”

Echo paused, tilting her head. [Alpha angry?]

“Yes, yes. Very angry.”

[Liar.]

“No! I’m not lying! Alpha is good.” Echo cooed in agreement. “Alpha doesn’t want you to hurt people.”

Suddenly there was a solid wall of muscle in between Zach and the raptors, hands out in a placating matter. “Stand down.”

The raptors looked between Owen and the fresh meat on the ground.

[Alpha!] 

“Stand. Down.”

Blue snapped her jaws at him in rebellion. 

“Blue,” Owen said warningly.

[Threat.]

“Friend,” Owen corrected.

[Intruder.]

Zach would ponder on the large vocabulary of dinosaurs later. At present, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “Friend,” he said, agreeing with Owen. Talking and drawing attention to himself might be the stupidest course of action, but maybe it would help them convince them. Besides, it wasn’t like Zach could hold a thought in his brain for longer than a second at the moment anyways.

Delta growled at him. 

“Delta, I see you. Back up.”

“You don’t want to make Alpha angry,” Zach reasoned. “Obey Alpha.”

He noticed out of the corner of his eye how Owen grew rigid at Zach’s usage of “Alpha,” but he couldn’t contemplate that right now. That could wait for later, to torture him as he lied awake in bed. He’d spent his entire life ignoring and avoiding and blocking his ability to communicate. It might just be the only thing that saved him now.

Echo cooed again, nodding her head in agreement. She seemed to be the easiest to control.

“Start backing up, boys,” Owen instructed them without removing his eyes from the raptors. “The gate to the divider is open. Get through there and slam the big red button to close it.”

Zach and Gray followed his orders, slowly backing up. Gray was still attached to the back of Zach’s jacket, shielding himself completely from view of the raptors. Zach didn’t turn away from the dinosaurs for a second. 

[Hurt.]

Zach winced. He had been hoping none of them would notice the dark spot on the knee of his jeans, or the trickle of it down to his ankle. The adrenaline and fear were keeping the pain at bay, but he knew he’d feel it later. 

Echo was looking at him with concern.

“Hurt,” Zach agreed, knowing he should keep his mouth shut.

His eyes took in Owen’s rigidity. 

[Easy.]

Zach’s eyes flew to meet Blue’s, and he couldn’t breathe. 

[Run.]

He shouldn’t have. He knew better. Zach knew better.

But in his fear he grabbed Gray’s hand and sprinted toward the metal cage.

“No!” Owen yelled.

Zach felt claws in his back, and it took all he had to practically throw Gray into the safe space, screaming at him to press the button as he fell to the ground. 

This was it. This was how he would die, ripped to pieces as Gray watched. 

Suddenly the weight was gone from his back and Zach turned to see Owen pinning Blue down onto the ground the way one would a crocodile. His body was on top of Blue’s as she laid on her side. His arms and legs bound her like a rope, and his hands clamped around her jaws to keep them closed. 

Zach could hear the growling coming from in between her clenched teeth, eyes narrowing in on his. 

[Not pack.]

Turning onto his back, Zach grimaced as he propped himself up on his elbows to view the other three raptors watching the tense scene. 

[Hurt.]

[Not pack. Our Alpha. Not yours.]

“You’re right,” Zach breathed out. “He’s not my alpha. I’m sorry. Please, let us leave, and we won’t come back.”

He didn’t mean to catch Owen’s eyes, but he had difficulty looking away again. The man probably thought he was insane, but what did that matter? Soon he wouldn’t see anyone here ever again.

[Surrender.]

Zach froze. What did that mean?

“Charlie…” Owen nearly growled, startling Zach. He eased up on Blue to look warningly at the brown striped raptor.

[Surrender to Alpha.]

Owen nearly choked.

“H-How?” Zach asked, feeling stupid, remembering that Gray was watching. He hadn’t heard the gate close. He had to keep the raptors’ attention on him so that they didn’t notice the small child behind him.

Delta stepped closer, gaining both Zach and Owen’s attention. She sat down while staring Zach in the eyes. She nodded toward the ground, and Zach got the hint.

With some degree of pain, Zach rose to a kneeling position. He wouldn’t be able to hide the bloody back as well as the bloody leg. If he even made it back to the hotel. 

His ability to escape was completely inhibited. Zach tried to swallow.

Delta tiled her head to the side, exposing her neck. When Zach didn’t comply, Charlie snarled. He quickly remedied his stance, tilting his head to the side as well, leaving his neck equally as exposed and vulnerable for the kill. All the raptors’ eyes flew to Owen to await his response.

With labored breathing, Zach’s eyes hesitantly raised to look at Owen. He was surprised to find the older man already looking at him, his expression unreadable. And then Zach thought Owen’s pupils changed to slits, and his lips parted in shock. With a blink it was gone though. 

Owen slowly and reluctantly released Blue from his hold and walked toward Zach, turning his back to the raptors. He stopped a few feet in front of him. 

“I accept your surrender,” Owen said, the words sounding forced. And plainly ridiculous. But Zach could laugh about it later, when he was in bed. Alive. With a couple beers.

Echo whined.

Without words, Owen seemed to understand what she was getting at. With a sigh and a pinch between his brows, Owen held his hand out to Zach.

Zach stared at the offered hand for a long moment before finally placing his slimmer one in its grasp. 

Owen helped Zach to stand, before pulling Zach against him. Zach gasped, eyes wide, too taken aback to move. Owen gently pulled Zach’s head to the side again, revealing his neck once more, and Zach couldn’t think.

Head slowly dipping down, Zach felt the ghost of a breath and the nudge of a nose against the juncture of his neck and shoulders, before it trailed smoothly upward to just beneath his jaw.

“Surrender accepted,” Owen breathed out, pulling his face away.

[Accept Alpha.]

“T-Thank you,” Zach stumbled out, hands still gripping Owen’s forearms to keep himself steady and not fall into the older and larger man. He looked up and thought he saw a flash of those eyes again…those eyes that were slits instead of round pupils. But Zach blinked and imagined it.

[Leave.]

Zach could have laughed, but only a huff came out. “Don’t have to tell me twice,” he murmured. Owen’s eyebrows lifted and Zach _definitely_ knew that it was time to disappear. Except when he turned away from Owen and tried to walk, he nearly crumpled to the ground. 

Echo cooed. [Hurt.]

“Yeah, no thanks to Blue,” Zach couldn’t help but grunt out as he winced.

“I can’t help you leave, Zach. But as soon as you are through the gate, you hit that button and don’t look back.”

Zach glanced back at Owen, who hadn’t moved. “You’ll be okay?”

Owen nodded solemnly. “I’ll be okay,” he agreed. “And then, later, you and I are going to have a chat.”

Eyes flew back to find Gray, and Zach stumbled forward with more fire in his feet. A chat with Alpha. Lovely.

True to his directions, Zach didn’t look back. But he thought of Owen the entire way back to the hotel, the adrenaline not lessening any. If anything, Owen’s words had made it worse. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the feels commence.
> 
> More backstory in future chapters.
> 
> x.

**3.**

Zach spent the majority of the day in bed. He and Gray had been discovered sneaking back into their hotel room by Zara, who had been careful to limit her scream to merely bulging eyes. She didn’t ask questions—the less she knew, the less she had to lie to Aunt Claire or be held accountable. So she had simply procured a first-aid kit and helped Zach dress his wounds as best as either of them knew how. He’d promptly climbed into bed after stripping down to his boxers, too tired to care about getting so undressed near Zara, and the woman had escorted a still-quiet and likely-traumatized Gray out and onto the day’s itinerary. It had been at Zach’s insistence, hoping that by overwhelming Gray’s senses with people and dinosaurs, he would be distracted from remembering that morning.

The hours passed by in a haze of pain and sleep, with pain-killers taken in lieu of meals, causing Zach’s waking moments to be a blur of delirium. Shadows twisted into dinosaurs, sheets strangled, reptilian eyes always watching. He’d cried himself back to sleep around three p.m., after sharp teeth had torn his flesh from his bones piece by piece, while Owen’s muscular form had watched from the far side of the room. 

At five p.m., Zach pulled himself out of bed, wavering on his feet. He held onto the nightstand until the lightheaded feeling passed, before stumbling into the bathroom. After using the toilet, a brave glance up made Zach wince out of more than pain. Gaunt and haunted features stared back at him. Pallid skin, dark circles under his eyes, colorless and cracked lips. Sweaty hair clung to his forehead in clusters, blue veins standing out in stark contrast. 

Several deep breaths later, Zach gathered the courage to look at the wounds underneath his makeshift bandages. Gauze was wrapped several times around his torso, keeping cotton pads against his back. Slowly and carefully, Zach undid the gauze, peeling the bloody pads off his back. He twisted his neck to see his back in the mirror. It didn’t look as bad as it felt, despite the blood.

Gut twisting, Zach knew that Blue could have maimed him, skinned him alive. She hadn’t, and he didn’t want to think about why. 

Showering burned, and Zach had to lean against the wall several times, but once he was out and had redressed his wounds, he felt better. He went directly back to bed with his wet hair, in his boxers once more. Sleep took him immediately, and he mercifully didn’t dream. 

—

“Zach?”

A groan and heavy-lidded eyes revealed Gray, standing next to his bed. When Zach blinked away the sleep, he saw that Gray wasn’t looking at him. 

“Gray?”

“Are…are you going to die?”

Zach couldn’t help the slight smile that pulled the left corner of his lips up. His eyes slid shut again. “‘Course not, goober. Right as rain tomorrow.”

“I’m glad.”

“Sleep, goop.”

“Goodnight, Zach.”

Zach hummed in response.

—

Midnight was quiet and lonely and for once Zach couldn’t stand it, restless without a reason, and it was driving him crazy.

He pumped himself full of more painkillers before pulling on a shirt, pants, and shoes. 

Air would help. 

Zach crept out of the room as stealthily as he could manage. He let his feet carry him, his mind pleasantly numb. He hadn’t thought to grab his headphones until he’d already made it to the small garden outside the back of the hotel. 

Continuing down a dimly-lit path, Zach relished the feeling of taking in the island on his own. When he reached an uninhabited beach, he was suddenly overcome with the wish that it was his. No place had ever been his before, and he couldn't squash the unwarranted desire for belonging.

Writing off his emotional instability and delusional dreams as medical side-effects, Zach wandered until he was directly in the long and narrow beach’s center. He sat down, careful of his knee and back. 

The waves lapped at the shore calmly, soothingly, in a broken rhythm. Everything was asleep, and nothing was speaking to him. Zach closed his eyes, breathing in the salty air, the gentle breeze playing with strands of his hair. 

How easy it would be, to become one with the ocean and drift away. 

Fingers ran tentatively over the side of his neck, barely touching the skin. 

Float away from memories.

A rustle startled Zach, and he turned with wide eyes to find Owen sitting beside him in the sand.

How had he not heard…?

“What brings you out here, kid?” Owen asked, and Zach bristled at being thought of as a child. 

His heart sped up at Owen’s sudden appearance—so close, alone at night, after what had happened early that morning…

Zach swallowed. “I-I just wanted some quiet,” he murmured, eyes trailing away from Owen to watch the waves lap at the sandy shore. 

“Guess I’m defeating the purpose then, huh?” Owen asked, tone light.

“I was just heading back,” Zach said, but when he tried to stand, he winced and fell back down on his ass. 

“Hey, take it easy.” There was a large, warm palm against Zach’s cheek, gently stroking into his hair. 

Zach let out a shuddered breath. 

“How are you feeling, after this morning?”

Owen’s face showed only his concern, and Zach’s eyes flittered away as he withdrew from the contact. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Owen’s hand lower to rest in the sand in between them.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re in pain, though.” Zach peeked at him, watching his nostrils flair, as if he could smell the pain, smell the pills. 

“And talking about it is going to help?” Zach said, unable to hide the sneer splitting his face. “Just leave me alone.”

“You need to talk about it with someone,” Owen insisted. 

“It’s none of your business!” Zach snapped, turning to face Owen with his sneer and his cold eyes. He watched Owen practically flinch at the sudden hostility. But then he saw the challenge bloom in Owen’s eyes, so alive, and his resolve grew shaky.

“Earlier today, when you spoke to the raptors—”

“You must be going crazy—nothing like that happened in there,” Zach said, his words chosen with purpose. If he pushed Owen away, hurt Owen first, then the older man couldn’t hurt him. 

A low rumble drifted up from Owen’s chest, sounding awfully like a growl. Zach’s eyes widened, watching the set in Owen’s jaw, in his brows.

 _Surrender to Alpha_.

Zach drew in a shaky breath as he remembered the command from the raptors earlier.

“Who growls at people?” Zach snapped, voice breaking.

“Who speaks to raptors?” Owen countered.

“You don’t know me, and I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

Zach watched as it looked like Owen struggled to bite back his words. “Careful, Zach. Alphas love a good challenge.”

Fear and arousal battled in Zach’s blood, causing his heart to quicken. “Good thing you’re not my Alpha, then,” Zach said stubbornly.

Owen’s eyes grew dark, and fear won out in Zach. His breathing quickened and he effectively stood, wincing along the way, but at least he didn’t fall down this time. Owen stood as well, and Zach flinched. 

A hand reached out, and Zach squeezed his eyes shut, tensing, expectant. But the touch was soft, and soon Zach’s face was cradled between two large hands. Zach’s eyes opened hesitantly, and he looked up at the taller man with confusion. 

“I will never hurt you, Zach,” Owen said softly, his expression sad, but his eyes determined. It was the look in his eyes that furthered Zach’s nerves.

Zach closed his eyes when he felt them starting to tickle with the beginning of tears. The hand remained soft and steady on his right cheek, but the one on his left slowly started making its way downward, to the collar of his shirt. It pulled the collar down slightly, and Zach shuddered, knowing what Owen was looking at. 

Shame filled him, as Owen’s thumb stroked the scar on his collarbone. 

Instead of being pushed away, though, Zach was pulled forward into a large, warm chest. Arms wrapped around him in comfort, one hand rubbing his back up and down in a slow pattern, and the other on the back of his head, stroking his hair. 

“Who hurts you?” Owen asked softly into Zach’s hair.

Zach breathed in sharply, trying to keep tears at bay. Owen shushed him gently when Zach let out a sound of despair from his throat. Slowly, Zach’s rigid stance relaxed, and his arms limply circled Owen’s waist, tightening over time.

He had forgotten what it felt like to be held—he wasn’t even sure if he ever had been before. 

“It’s okay, Zach. It’s okay. I will never hurt you,” Owen said softly, soothing the boy in his arms.

A few minutes passed in silence, before Zach found his voice again. “I should go. I shouldn’t be here.”

Owen was quiet as Zach pulled away, the cold breeze making him shiver unconsciously. The older man watched Zach start to walk away, let him despite his instincts to take the boy back into his arms and demand to know who hurt him, to let him know that as Alpha, Owen would never let him be hurt again, that he would protect him. He wished he could heal the boy’s pain, angry that it was caused by his own pack. Take his fear away. But Owen didn’t have that kind of power. Zach was a human, not a raptor. He wouldn’t understand.

Long after Zach had gone, Owen remained on the beach. 

He wished Zach could understand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, as I try to create a slow-build, but instead just end up driving everyone (myself included) mad. That's cool, too.
> 
> (GTA = Grand Theft Auto)
> 
> x.

**4.**

The boy had been avoiding the raptor trainer, that much was obvious. Owen had tried to sneak peaks at Zach throughout the past two days, trying to check on how he was doing, if he was still in pain. Zach would almost always notice him, and then mysteriously vanish. Owen tried to quash the rising excitement that this was a chase, that Zach _wanted_ Owen to chase him, to catch him. His human side had to win out in this, though. The boy had no idea what he was doing, no way of knowing that Owen’s status as Alpha was much more than an arbitrary title. 

Unbidden images of the way Zach had looked at him that first day, when he’d revealed his status, arose in the forefront of Owen’s mind. He tried to shove them back. The way the boy’s pupils had dilated, the hitch in his breath, the sudden burst of arousal that Owen had smelled. Zach had spoken to his girls as if he _understood_ them, and the very absurd idea sent chills down Owen’s spine. The way that after Gray had been able to escape, the raptors had made Zach submit to him… They’d recognized Gray as a hatchling, but Zach…

Owen shouted in frustration as he threw a large rock into the sea next to his cabin. It was too damn early for this. The sun was barely rising, and he was already anxious, fire dancing under his skin.

A human had never submitted to him before—he’d never expected one to, despite how much he wanted to make some cower before him, relinquish control and power and authority to him—and it was affecting him more than he’d like. The raptors might not see Zach as a child, but Owen did, and his human side was confusing his primal side.

This was all so wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. He was sure the boy was on the wrong side of eighteen, and Claire Dearing would burn him alive if she even caught a glimmer of how Owen looked at her nephew. She’d find a way to throw him into the mouth of the volcano on the top of the island and not even break a nail. She’d ship Zach out on the next ferry, next flight, back to wherever he came from. 

Owen emptied his lungs when he realized that he’d been growling at the thought of being separated from Zach.

This was dangerous, too dangerous. He needed to stop seeking the boy out, crumble the instinctual need to protect him, as if Zach was his to look out for. 

A connection like this hadn’t been formed since he’d been altered, and it scared Owen. He’d never cared for a human being so quickly, so deeply, before. What was it about the boy? Curiosity? If so, then God help him solve the mystery soon, so that he could move on with his life and let the boy live in peace. 

Would it even be possible to find out the answers he needed without going to the boy? Or would he have to get him alone and ask his questions, crack open his secrets? Just the thought of Owen getting Zach alone again brought up images and ideas he’d rather not think about.

Owen stormed back into his cabin, new problems needing to be fixed first.

—

Zach looked up in surprise as Aunt Claire joined Gray and him during breakfast in the dining room. 

“Good morning,” she said brightly, all carefully tailored clothes and smiles. 

“Morning Aunt Claire,” Gray greeted appropriately, returning her bright smile.

It was amazing how the raptor incident was able to be kept from her. The unbidden idea that wondered if Claire would even care if she knew touched Zach’s innate morbid curiosity, and while he couldn’t shake it, he was able to shove it behind his pancakes and smother it with syrup.

“So…I was thinking last night, and I was wondering if you two would like to see the control room today.”

“Really?” Gray asked, nearly bouncing in his seat. “Can we go right now? I’m done.”

Claire laughed and turned to Zach. He shrugged. At least there wouldn’t be any dinosaurs in the control room. Or any dinosaur keepers. He guessed it could be kind of cool.

Forty-five minutes—and an interruption by a disgruntled employee nearly accosting Claire with his problems—later, they walked into the control room. 

Zach wasn’t sure what he had expected the control room to look like, but he supposed this fit the bill well enough. The wall opposite the door consisted of numerous screens of different sizes, monitoring the park through both surveillance and statistics. Several people sat working on their personal desk monitors. 

One of them had seen the exchange between Zach and Owen, the incident in the raptor cage, surely. Panic started creeping in, chilling Zach’s veins and making him feel sick to his stomach, like he was going to throw up. They would recognize him. 

Claire stepped forward, barely drawing any attention at all as she gave her nephews the same speech she probably gave visiting investors. Even though they barely attracted any eyes, Zach still tried to hide his face, himself, from the employees—it was just too bad that the shelter his efforts provided was minuscule at best. 

“Lowery, what did I tell you about keeping your station clean?” Claire said, rolling her eyes at one of the men nearby, who was taking a drink of his soda at the same time Claire addressed him. He sputtered and sprayed it all over his monitor. Claire groaned and her expression pinched, as if she’d sucked on a grapefruit. 

“Oh, hey Claire,” Lowery said, laughing awkwardly as he started wiping his monitor with his flannel sleeve. 

Claire made a noise in the back of her mouth that sounded distinctly like being underwhelmed.

“These your nephews?” he asked.

“Yes, these are Zach and Gray,” Claire said, gesturing to them. 

“Hey guys,” Lowery greeted. 

“Lowery, I thought I told you to get rid of those toys,” Claire said, gesturing to the dinosaur figurines framing his monitor on his desk. 

“Come on, and lose the spirit of the place?” Lowery asked, easy smile on his lips as he admired the figurines, adjusting them slightly so that they were perfect. 

“Which one’s your favorite?” Gray asked.

Lowery looked at them all for a second, contemplating the question. He picked one up and turned to show it to Gray. “I think I would say this one, the Gastonia. It’s a more recent discovery, from the early Cretaceous period. A herbivorous herd animal, similar to the Ankylosaurus with its spiky and tough body armor.”

Gray picked up the figurine and studied it with fascination and a keen eye, dissecting its features with his eyes and fingertips, discerning which characteristics and habits it would have based on its appearance alone, silently comparing it to other dinosaurs in his mental archives. Finally, when his examination was over, he nodded his head in approval and returned the figurine to Lowery, who had looked on in kind amusement.

“The Gray Seal of Approval?” Lowery joked, and Gray smiled shyly. 

They stayed in the control room another ten or fifteen minutes, as Claire continued on with her practiced speech, and Gray interrupted now and then with questions. Zach kept to himself, looking on with silent eyes, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

A hand on his shoulder caught his attention, and Zach startled, finding Claire looking at him with a plastic smile. “Zach, we’re going to see the lab now. Don’t wanna fall behind on the tour.”

“He always drags his feet,” Gray said nonchalantly, leading the way out of the room, practically bouncing with more excitement. 

 _Just like how I drug my feet when you fell into the raptor cage,_ Zach thought, but kept his mouth shut and obediently followed his aunt and brother instead. 

A few more months and then he could go to college and be away from it all and never come back.

—

The lab, much like the control room, was both what Zach expected and not, as he hadn’t given much thought to the matter. He was under the impression that most labs probably looked similar, sans the dinosaurs.

There were several scientists gliding from one station to the next, attention focused solely on their projects. Science was never Zach’s strong suit, so he couldn’t pinpoint much beyond the lab equipment, or even begin to guess at what they were using it for. 

“Miss Dearing, may I speak to you for a moment?”

Claire turned around, her plastic smile perfectly in place, eyes guarded, as she regarded the man behind her. “Dr. Wu, of course. Would you mind if it waited for five minutes? I was just showing my nephews around.”

Zach watched Dr. Wu’s equally fake, tight smile, as he regarded each of them. “Of course.” He gave a sharp nod, hands folded together behind his back, before he walked off to another station in the lab. 

Something about Dr. Wu felt off, but Zach couldn’t tell what, so he tried to shake the feeling while observing the rest of the lab. He caught a glimpse of a couple of the monitors, noticing that they were displaying information about the genetic makeup of the dinosaurs. The uneasy feeling only grew, especially when Claire stepped out of the lab for a minute with a phone call.

Zach watched her on the other side of the windows, talking animatedly into her phone. 

“I apologize for my abrupt introduction earlier,” came a clipped and sharp voice from behind the boys. They whirled around to find Dr. Wu standing in front of them once more, observing both of them. “Dr. Wu,” he introduced himself properly, holding out his hand to shake each of theirs.

“Gray.” Zach could tell his brother liked feeling the importance of a scientist wanting to shake his hand.

“Zach,” he said when his turn came. Dr. Wu’s handshake was tight and held on for a beat too long before letting go of Zach’s hand. 

“It’s too bad you both came on a non-hatching period,” Dr. Wu said, with no such remorse in his voice. His hands returned to their earlier position, clasped behind his back. 

“That would have been so cool to see,” Gray admitted.

“Sorry, we have to cut the lab tour a bit short. There’s a situation that needs tending to,” Claire said, returning all of a sudden. “Dr. Wu, may I speak with you for a moment? Zach, Gray, you two stay by the doors. I’ll be right back.”

Dr. Wu strode to what appeared his office—completely visible by the floor-to-ceiling windows separating it from the rest of the lab—and Claire followed promptly, never one to dally.

The two boys did as they were told, as boring as that was. While Gray continued to look around curiously, trying to see what was being worked on, Zach watched Claire and Dr. Wu’s interaction. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he could tell that neither looked pleased, and when Claire was walking back toward them, Dr. Wu turned his eyes from her retreating figure to Zach. It felt almost like the man was…studying him, like one would a specimen, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Zach shivered, and was only too glad when the three of them exited the lab in a flurry. 

“Can we come?” Gray asked as they got into an elevator.

“No, you’ll have much more fun with Zara. I’ll drop you off at the hotel and she’ll be able to take you to some of the fun rides and shows,” Claire announced.

“Please, Aunt Claire?” Gray asked, turning his large puppy-dog eyes toward her. “We’ve barely had any time with you. We won’t get in the way of whatever the situation is. Please?” She caved in a matter of seconds.

“Alright, fine,” she said with a sigh.

“Dr. Wu didn’t look too happy about whatever you said,” Zach commented.

Claire sighed again. “I told him we would have to raincheck, and you know how scientists are,” she said, as if that explained anything, as if either of the boys actually knew what she meant. They nodded anyways.

—

“Whoa, pretty sure that was a paying guest you almost GTA’d,” Zach said, nervousness making his tone light. “Where’s the fire, Aunt Claire?”

Claire sighed and the vehicle visibly slowed down. “Sorry boys, just a reoccurring problem we’ve been having. This guy—Hoskins—is trying to convince Masrani to implement dinosaurs into military operations, and he has his eye particularly on the velociraptors Grady has been training. He wants Grady to agree to help train velociraptors and other smaller and more agile dinosaurs for his private military company.” 

A nauseating lurch pulled at Zach’s stomach, and he felt his heart plummet. 

Owen wouldn’t agree to something like that, surely…

“Is O-Mr. Grady going to agree?” Zach asked, voice tight.

“Grady is against it, and so am I. Doesn’t help that Hoskins gives us all the heebie-jeebies,” Claire shuddered just thinking about him. 

The jeep jerked to a halt outside the raptor paddock. Claire turned to face her two nephews in the backseat. “Now, I want you both to stay in the car. Hoskins has been pestering everyone and has long-overstayed his welcome, so there’s probably going to be some unpleasant conversation amongst the adults. Once this is cleared up, I’ll come back, and we’ll do something nice, to make up for this. Alright?”

Gray pouted at being left out of the adults’ drama, and Zach offered her a rebellious challenge in his expression and mannerisms—the way he held her eyes, his own zeroed in on her and unwavering, lifting his chin up, bringing his bottom teeth to meet his top perfectly. Claire got flustered and looked away. Zach’s left eyebrow quirked up at the unspoken victory. 

Claire exited the vehicle, composing herself in both mentality and attire, before strutting up to the paddock. Zach and Gray watched her go. After approximately thirty seconds, Zach began unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. 

“Stay here,” Zach told Gray.

“Are you serious?” Gray asked. 

“Remember the last time you were near the raptors?” Zach asked, breaking their silence on the subject. He didn’t look at Zach. “You’re not going near them again. You resemble the squealing pig they chase too much.”

“Ha ha,” Gray said drily. “Why are _you_ going?”

Zach paused for a second or two, hand on the door handle. “I’ll tell you later if anything interesting happens.” He opened the door. “Stay here,” he instructed again, before closing the door and traipsing in the direction he’d seen his aunt head.

“How many times do I have to tell you ‘no’ before you take a hint?” Zach heard Owen’s voice say loudly, and after he cleared a battered SUV, he saw how Owen’s stance was rigid, his expression angry. Fists clenched at his sides, he looked like he was barely resisting taking a swing at Hoskins. The two men were busy glaring each other down, so they didn’t notice Zach’s arrival, but Barry—who stood a few steps to the side—did. 

“Claire, what is your nephew doing here?” 

“Darn it, Zach,” Claire murmured, before striding over to her nephew. “I thought I told you to wait in the car,” she said lowly when she reached him. “Where’s Gray?” Claire looked around, expecting to see the younger boy not far behind his brother. 

“He’s still in the car, calm down,” Zach placated as he looked around. Beyond the men, the four raptors were all in metal harnesses, their snouts in metal muzzles attached to the side of the metal holding cage. They were all watching the exchange, antsy. “Why are the raptors locked up?”

Whatever Claire was about to say, it was interrupted by more angry shouting, this time by Barry, who had seemed calm beforehand. Zach didn’t know what was being said, but Claire sighed and gave him a look to “stay put” before she returned to the testosterone match. 

A whine drew Zach’s attention to the raptors. Echo was looking at him, and he knew that it was she who had made the noise—the same one who cooed and cawed. Zach felt sorry for her sensitivity, and was making his way over to her before he realized what he was doing. 

A hiss came from either Charlie or Delta, Zach didn’t know which, but he kept his attention on Echo, who was trying to wiggle out of the harness and failing. She looked like she was about to cry, and for once, Zach felt the urge to comfort instead of turn a cheek. 

“Shh, it’s going to be okay, Echo,” Zach said gently, a slow hand reaching toward Echo. Blue growled, but Zach wasn’t dissuaded, not when the raptors were like this and he was (in theory) safe. 

His hand tentatively met with the reptilian scales at the crown of her head, and he slowly stroked down, repeating the motion over and over until Echo cooed at him. He looked behind her and saw her tail wagging, and he couldn’t help but smile. 

The dinosaurs couldn’t necessarily talk to him in this state, with the muzzles on, but he knew what the sounds they made meant—the hisses, the growls, the noises they made in the back of their throats, and the cooing. He wondered if they could purr, like cats, or if their tails wagging made them more akin to dogs. 

“It’s going to be okay, Alpha will protect you,” Zach said in earnest, confidence carrying his tone to the raptors. 

Echo closed her eyes and leaned into Zach’s petting, cooing her agreement. Owen would protect them. There was no way he would let anything happen to them. Zach convinced himself of this, because the alternative wasn’t worth thinking about. 

Zach suddenly noticed the relative silence, where before there had been shouting and raised voices. He stopped and turned to look behind him. The adults were all watching him, quiet. 

Fear and insecurity had Zach curling into himself, slowly sinking back against Echo. His eyes caught Owen’s, and his breath was nearly stolen with the look the older man was giving him. It was so intense that Zach had to cast his eyes away after a few seconds, reminding him of the dreams he’d had the previous night, which were not things meant to be remembered in front of an audience. 

“Zach…” Claire said, hand outstretched as if she meant to reach for him, despite the distance between them. “Zach, step away from the raptors, please.”

Hoskins looked downright smug. “So they’re tame for more than just your golden touch, huh Owen? They’re practically fawning over that boy there.”

Zach’s blood ran cold when the white-haired, portly man turned his attention on Zach and the raptors. 

Hoskins walked closer and Blue, the raptor closest to the group of humans, growled so viciously that she was practically spitting, her eyes narrowed, pupils thin slits. Charlie and Delta soon joined in behind Zach, while Echo whined low in her throat as if in pain. 

The man struck Zach as aggressive and ruthless and cruel, and he tried to plaster himself against what little of Echo that he could reach, as if it was her turn to comfort him. 

Zach’s eyes sought out Owen, who had a dark look on his face that Zach could only interpret as territorial, eyes trained on Hoskins’s movements, as if he was ready to strike at the first step out of line. His nostrils flared, and Zach imagined that it was to smell Zach’s fear. 

Adrenaline starting to set in, Zach had a crazy impulse, and his curiosity got the better of him when he followed it through. “Alpha,” he whispered, too quiet for Hoskins—who had stopped next to Blue, more scared of the raptors than he let on—to hear, his lips moving too slight for him to see. His eyes were glued on Owen’s face to observe his reaction. The raptor trainer’s eyes widened a fraction and they sought out Zach’s. And, in between blinks, for the span of a second, Zach could have sworn he saw Owen’s eyes shift into reptilian slits again. A shiver of anticipation wracked down Zach’s spine.

Owen’s stance grew even more tense, muscles flexing, before strong legs carried him toward Hoskins and the raptors and Zach. He planted himself right in front of Zach, so close the boy could reach out and touch him if he wanted to. 

An absurd thought fluttered into Zach’s mind and refused to leave, that Owen was protecting not the raptors, but this inconsequential slight of a boy that he knew nothing about. Zach wanted it to be true, scared in this realization.

He wanted this man to care about him when he had no reason to.

“I think it’s time you left,” Owen said lowly, voice barely concealing a threat, as he spoke to Hoskins. He towered over the militaristic man, and he seemed almost larger in this moment, more physically intimidating. 

Blue snarled and the metal harness and muzzle creaked loudly as she struggled with renewed vigor. 

“This isn’t over,” Hoskins warned, before retreating to his vehicle. 

Zach’s vision consisted mainly of Owen’s back and shoulders and the muscles he could see underneath the worn cotton of his shirt. Owen stayed in front of Zach, blocking him from the others’ eyes, until after Hoskins had gone. The raptors quieted down, comforted by Owen’s proximity and the removal of threat. 

Owen turned around and Zach couldn’t meet his eyes, instead staring at his chest, which really wasn’t any better. Zach remembered how it had felt to be held against that chest, those arms wrapped around him, shielding him from the outside world. 

Zach nearly forgot himself and reached for Owen, but was snapped out of it when Claire called out, “Owen, we need to talk.”

For a moment, Owen didn’t move. Maybe he was waiting for Zach to look up at him, but eventually he returned to Claire. 

As Zach let his eyes wander to the group of adults talking in hushed tones, Claire’s face the only one facing him, reality started setting back in.

He peeled himself off of Echo, looking at her to see her eyes watching him, her gaze lacking animosity. She cooed at him again, and he saw that Charlie and Delta were watching him, while Blue had her eyes on her Alpha. 

Zach closed his eyes and tried to get a grip on himself. When he’d been frightened, uncomfortable, the first thing he had done was to seek out Owen, to call for him. And Owen had come, had shielded him, and made the threat go away. He had comforted Zach on the beach, and Zach had let him. 

He’d called for Owen, and Owen had come to him. 

Like an Alpha would for one of their pack.

It had only been instinct, instinct that Zach shouldn’t have had. He wasn’t right, wasn’t okay.

 _You’re an abomination_.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. 

Zach wanted Owen, wanted Owen to want him—longed to be wanted for once in his damn life—and the thought scared him. 

He needed to get away, needed to leave. 

_You think we want you?_

Why would Owen ever want him? Why would anyone?

Echo whined, as if sensing his pain, and Zach stumbled away from her. He looked back toward the adults and saw how Owen had noticed Echo’s whine, had turned his head to see Zach’s weakness. His eyes were soft, his face concerned, and it gutted Zach.

He did the only thing he could—he ran. 

“Zach!” Claire called for him, but Zach didn’t stop, didn’t falter. He just kept running, through open fields and forested areas, until he stopped in a deserted wooded cluster, the wounds on his back and leg throbbing with the exertion and movement. He leant against a tree with his shoulders touching the bark, breathing heavily to catch his breath. His heart thundered in his chest. Closing his eyes, Zach tilted his head back. 

When he opened his eyes again, Owen was standing in front of him, slits instead of circular pupils, studying him. He was so close…

That same instinctual curiosity that arose only minutes before—the one that would get him killed eventually—made Zach tilt his head further back and to the side, watching how Owen’s eyes locked onto the movement, studying the pale expanse of skin, the offering of submission. 

Zach watched as Owen blinked his eyes back to green, to hooded jade, watched as they traveled up Zach’s neck to his face. 

“Are you okay?” Owen breathed, his voice low and rough.

Unsure what to do when confronted with genuine concern, Zach turned his face away, so that he didn’t have to look at Owen at all.

“Why did you run?” that same coarse tone asked, and Zach couldn’t help but shiver.

Calloused fingers held Zach’s chin and gently turned his face back to view Owen’s. Zach let his eyes drift to the older man’s, meeting them and holding them. 

A low growl in the back of Owen’s throat widened Zach’s eyes, doing nothing to slow Zach’s quickened heartbeat. 

Owen leant in, down to Zach’s ear, and whispered deeply, “You should know better than to give an Alpha chase.”

Excitement fueled his adrenaline, and Zach couldn’t help the whimper that escaped. Owen’s lips met the point of skin right below his ear, and they trailed down to the base of his throat, before skimming up again, taking in Zach’s scent, ever so slowly. 

Warm arousal pooled heavily in Zach’s gut, and he leaned toward the other man with his hips, his shoulders still resting against the tree, hands gripping the bark tightly. 

“Zach,” Owen whispered, pausing in his ministrations, “we need to go back.”

Owen pulled away, stepped back, and it took a second for Zach to understand what had happened. Shame and embarrassment filled him as he realized that he had practically offered himself to Owen, and he had been rejected. A coldness filled him, spread through him, and it hurt more than Zach wanted it to. He closed his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to see Owen’s expression, and turned his head downward so that Owen wouldn’t see his.

Of course Owen didn’t want him.

_You’re an abomination._

Who could ever want him?

His arousal all but gone, Zach opened his eyes and turned away, walking with as long of strides as he could manage away from Owen. He didn’t know where—he hoped in the direction of the hotel—but just away was good enough for now. 

He just wanted to find a quiet spot, where he could cry and hide, and let the world forget him. 

No one had ever wanted him, and no one ever would. 

Not his family, not even Gray, and certainly not Owen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing in this chapter feels somewhat choppy and jerky to me, so I apologize for that.
> 
> I also apologize if it bores or underwhelms you. In my opinion, it is relevant to the overall story, helping to tie it further to the movie (which I had on pause and play, over and over again while writing this). 
> 
> The next chapter should make up for anything you find lacking in this one though... ;)
> 
> x.

**5.**

It nearly killed Owen to reign himself in, to clutch onto his self-control and not take what was being freely offered. Zach had submitted to him so beautifully—leaned back like that, his neck tilted away, exposing the long expanse of pale skin, hips seeking friction. He could smell the desire oozing off of the boy.

But Owen also knew that if he had his way with the boy, there would be no going back. He’d want to keep him, claim him, mate him. He would never let him go. 

Zach was young. He didn’t know what he wanted yet; he was just a horny teenager. To tie him to Owen now… 

So Owen had pulled away, had nearly shredded his palms with claws as he fisted them, so as not to reach for the tempting boy in front of him.

The dark aroma of hurt and shame masked any of the arousal that had previously colored the air, and Owen very nearly regretted his decision. His instincts told him to embrace the boy, to soothe his pain and discomfort, to lavish him with attention and affection. But it was better this way—Zach deserved so much more.

Owen closed his eyes as he heard Zach flee. He fell to his knees, fighting the primal urge that welled up inside of him, screaming at him for hurting the boy and pushing him away. If he were a wolf, Owen would howl. As it was, he stayed kneeling on the ground for only as long as it took to remember that Claire and Barry were waiting for him to return. He could still smell the lingering scent left behind, of hurt and shame and Zach. He didn’t know how to tell the others that he’d lost Zach.

He feared it was true in more ways than one.

 

* * *

 

Except for Jimmy Fallon trying too hard on the informational video, it was silent in the Gyrosphere.

It had been that way for over five minutes, both Zach and Gray just looking out of the glass, pretending the other wasn’t there.

“What’s going on with you?” Gray asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Nothing,” Zach said quietly.

“Yes there is,” Gray insisted, turning to face Zach.

“Drop it,” Zach warned.

“Is it about what happened in the raptor paddock?” Gray asked. “What _did_ happen?”

“It’s none of your business!” Zach couldn’t help but raise his voice, turning to glare at his brother. 

“Why are you always so mean and distant?”

Zach rose his eyebrows. “Oh, mean and distant, like when I saved your ass from getting _eaten?”_

Gray winced and looked away, back out of the glass at the rolling green plains. “I just don’t know why you hate me so much,” he murmured. “I wish you didn’t.”

Zach sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the seat. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Don’t say this is a teenager or adult thing,” Gray said, voice cracking, as if he was holding in tears. This was something he had to say, though, so he persisted. “Don’t brush it off like you brush everything off, like you brush me off.”

Zach was silent, lolling his head away from Gray, letting the life drain out of his body until he was just a zombie, just a shell. Until he didn’t feel and didn’t think and didn’t know. 

“I know I’m a kid, but I’m not dumb. There _is_ something you won’t tell me, and there’s more to it than just the velociraptors and Owen.”

The mention of the raptor trainer would have made Zach flinch, except he was in his meditative state where he was beyond fear and pain—the hole he crawled into often in his life, to avoid the very same feelings.

“You’ve been like this long before we came here.”

There was silence again. The informational video had ended, and a warning was beeping on the video screen, speakers in the sphere suddenly announcing that the ride was closed and that they were to return.

“All I’ve ever wanted was my brother,” Gray admitted quietly, so quietly that Zach almost didn’t hear.

Zach opened his eyes, looking at the scenery and dinosaurs but not really seeing them. “People only disappoint you, Gray. I’ve disappointed you, our parents will disappoint you—everyone will, sooner or later.”

“Is that why you’re always so closed off?” Gray asked. “Because you think that if you don’t care, you can’t be disappointed?”

“You’re smart, Gray,” Zach admitted. “A prodigy. If you wanted to, you could have figured out what was wrong a long time ago. You don’t want to know, though, so you haven’t.”

Gray paused, before blinking rapidly and looking around with a new vigor. “We should have gone back. They said the ride is closed.”

Zach kept on, though, steering the Gyrosphere when its automatic course shut off. 

“I don’t want to go back,” he said. The heavy silence that fell afterwards told Zach that Gray knew what he meant, knew that it had nothing to do with the park.

 

* * *

 

Owen was angry and frustrated, standing in the control center, watching the incompetence around him. The fear and panic were pungent, and Owen was almost tempted to cover his nose, but if he had, he would have also missed the thin trace of comfort. These people were scared, but they were also confident that they were safe in this room.

“Hold on, we are talking about an animal, here,” Claire reasoned. 

If something hadn’t snapped already in Owen during this fiasco, it did now. “A highly intelligent animal,” Owen argued. All of the dinosaurs were intelligent—especially his raptors, though he was admittedly a little biased—but this Indominus Rex…this was something else. This one was probably more clever than half of the humans in the control room. 

Owen watched as the suicide mission drew close to the Indominus’s tracking beacon, wielding non-lethals, and his breath was stolen at how little human life—any life—meant to these people. 

“You are _not_ in control here!” Claire snapped when Owen told her to call the mission off. 

When the footage of the Indominus’s tracker, stuck in a clump of her own muscle and scales, was  broadcasted through the control room, Owen could hear everyone’s breath gasp and hold almost at the same time. “She remembered where they put it in…” Owen said.

“But they put the trackers in almost immediately after the dinosaur hatches…”

“What the _hell_ is in this dinosaur, Claire?” Owen demanded, turning around to face her. He watched her flounder, mouth opening and closing. She didn’t _know?_

All the heart monitors for the suicide team went dead, as did the footage of their slaughter.

“Evacuate the island.” When Claire did not reply in compliance, Owen continued. “You made a genetic hybrid and raised it in solitude. She is seeing all of this for the first time. She does not even know _what_ she is. She will kill everything that moves.”

Masrani seemed to detach himself more than Claire could from the situation, because he was able to calmly understand Owen’s line of thought. “Do you think the animal is contemplating its own existence?”

“She is learning where she fits in the food chain,” Owen explained, “and I’m not sure you want her to figure that out.”

When Claire commanded he leave the control room, Owen tensed, pressing his lips into a firm line, and holding the woman’s eyes.

A growl was barely restrained as his authority and status were undermined, his primal instincts feeling threatened, challenged for Alpha. It was difficult to hamper the feeling, when no one was listening to him. Did they all want to die? Did they want their 20,000 guests to be massacred? They were all cocky and impotent, even Claire. There was a reason the two of them hadn’t worked out.

Reflecting on it now, Owen realized that he’d only been drawn to her because she was beautiful and unattainable, and the man always wanted what he couldn’t have. But they were both too headstrong and stubborn—control-freaks, fighting for dominance. Two Alphas never mixed well, especially when one of them was a robot.

She ignited nothing in him now, not fondness, not a stirring in his loins. She was still beautiful, but there was nothing beyond that to draw him in. 

As he looked at the other inhabitants in the room, it was much the same. A few were quite good-looking, but they all evoked feelings of irritation now, more than anything else. His mind’s eye kept drifting back toward the only person who had sparked any interest or curiosity in him in a long time.

Owen’s heart suddenly plummeted to his stomach. “Claire,” he said, freezing on his way to the exit. He turned back around suddenly, eyes zeroing in on the redhead. “Where are your nephews?”

Claire’s eyes widened. “They’re fine. They’re with Zara.” She drew her phone out of her pocket and Owen, with his keen eyesight, could see her hands shaking. “Zara?” she said, once the other woman had answered. “I need you to bring the boys back to the hotel right away. Wait…they _what?”_  

Mouth dry, Owen stepped toward Claire, glaring at the security guard who tried to stop him. The guard backed down, hands up in a placating manner.

“Claire…” Owen murmured, voice low, not in comfort, but in warning. 

Claire hurriedly hung up on Zara and then immediately dialed Zach’s number. “Pick up, pick up, pick up,” she chanted under her breath. When he didn’t, she stared at her phone for a second in horror.

“Where are they, Claire?” Owen asked lowly, standing right in front of her now.

“Oh God,” Claire whispered, wide eyes finding Owen. “I don’t know. Zara said they had run off…”

Claire turned to face the monitors on the wall, watching the security cameras broadcast footage of guests. She was quiet for a moment, trying to think. “Gray had mentioned the Gyrospheres yesterday afternoon when we were looking for Zach…”

She nearly ran to Lowery, Owen close on her heels. There was a stray sphere further out than it should have been.

“That’s got to be them,” Claire said.

When none of the rangers were available to find and rescue the boys, Owen felt a horrible tightening in his chest, a sharp pain shooting in all directions. 

He could still remember the acute taste of Zach’s hurt and shame that had followed the mouthwatering aroma of his arousal. Owen couldn’t let that be the last interaction between the two of them—of Zach knowing only rejection and fear and loneliness before his death. He couldn’t let Zach die at all, he wouldn’t. It wasn’t a thought he would even entertain—he would recover Zach _alive_ , even if he had to kill to do it.

 

* * *

 

The Gyrosphere paused in front of the four Ankylosaurus, deep in the jungle, beyond the wonky fence that had been missing a gate. 

Zach ignored their calls, the barrier of the sphere helping to some degree. 

“There’s five dinosaurs,” Gray corrected Zach, pointing shakily to the reflection of one in their sphere.

They watched the reflection, frozen, as the dinosaur rose behind them, all teeth. It let loose an ear-piercing roar and began running after the Ankylosaurus, kicking the sphere in the process. 

Zach and Gray went spinning, hitting trees and the mace-ended-tails of the Ankylo. They were knocked around like a soccer ball, and Gray held on to Zach for protection and support, screaming. 

Cracks shorted out the sphere, and they ended upside down beside a tree, still strapped into their seats. While the horrifically large predator was having its fun with the Ankylo, Zach and Gray had the good sense to remain quiet, hoping it would forget all about them. They were trapped upside down, and they both tried to ignore the screams of one of the herbivores. When it was mercilessly killed, Gray closed his eyes and turned away, trying to hold in tears, but Zach couldn’t tear his gaze away from the carnage.

Gray reached blindly for his brother, and Zach held his hand, unable to deny the younger one’s need for physical comfort. Movement out of his eye caused him to look back to the front, where he startled. The large white dinosaur—it wasn’t a T-Rex, Zach knew, but it looked awfully similar—was crouched down in front of them, it’s eye level with them. He watched the pupil thin as it studied them.

It spun the sphere around and shattered a hole in the glass with a talon. It opened its mouth and made to stretch its jaws over the sphere.

“Wait!” Zach screamed, and the dinosaur paused. “Stop!”

The dinosaur pulled back just enough to look at the two boys, eying them, likely in curiosity. 

“Zach?” Gray asked timidly, gaining the sudden attention of the beast. Its momentary hesitance passed, and the jaws wrapped back around the sphere, teeth crunching into the glass, smacking the sphere against the ground repeatedly until the back fell out and Zach and Gray fell with it.

“Run!” Zach screamed, nearly shoving Gray up and following after him. 

Adrenaline fueled them as their legs pounded heavily against the ground, nearly flying over the grass. Zach slid to a stop at the edge of the waterfall, and made sure to wrap his arm around Gray to keep him from falling head-first. 

They turned back around to find the white dinosaur closing in.

“Stop! Stop!” Zach screamed at it, and watched the way it did indeed pause for a minute, but it soon shook itself out of its stupor. Zach turned back to Gray. “We’ll have to jump.”

“What?” Gray cried out. “I can’t.”

Zach grabbed on to Gray’s arm and pulled him down the waterfall with him. As he free-fell through the air, he watched the dinosaur’s jaws snap at the space they had just been standing in.

The two boys landed with a crash into the water, and Zach took hold of Gray’s hand and kept him down, dragging him further, keeping him from the surface, with a finger against his own lips. Gray took the hint, and they both stayed under the water as long as they could, to give the impression of being dead or lost to the stream. 

When they could no longer hold their breath, they broke through the surface, gasping profusely. Once they had crawled onto the muddy bank, still gasping for breath, Zach looked around in shock before he started to chuckle deliriously. 

“Once this is over,” Gray said brokenly around gasps, “we are having a serious conversation, and you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Zach’s chuckle turned into a full-blown, breathless laugh, and Gray couldn’t help but join in, ecstatic at hearing Zach’s laugh for the first time in so long. Zach hugged Gray and pulled him toward himself. “If we make it out of this alive,” Zach offered.

 

* * *

 

Owen took steady breaths as he and Claire came upon the broken Gyrosphere. It was abandoned, but not bloody. 

Claire grabbed a broken cell off the ground, on the verge of a breakdown, but Owen kept himself stable. There were footprints in the mud outside of the sphere, blurred by hasty steps. “They made it out,” he announced to Claire, pointing to the tracks. 

They followed on foot toward the waterfall, Owen’s rifle in hand, leading the way, as Claire traipsed after him in a skirt and high heels. Owen stared over the cliff, but there were no bodies washed along the shore. Zach’s scent was faint, but still lingering—they hadn’t been here that long ago. 

“Oh my God, they jumped,” Claire announced as she caught up with Owen.

Owen surveyed the landscape, both proud and concerned that the boys had been brave enough to jump.

“Zach! Gray!” Claire screamed at the top of her lungs.

Owen nearly lost it. He rushed to her, shushing her, while keeping his eyes on the surrounding area for any sign of movement.

“Hey, I am _not_ one of your damn animals!” Claire rebutted.

“You’re right, if you were, you’d know that screaming like a banshee is going to get us killed,” Owen hissed. “Maybe take a cue from one of my _‘damn animals’_ and learn some common sense.”

Claire’s mouth fell open at Owen’s words. “Excuse me?” she asked, but Owen didn’t grace her with an answer. Claire took a second to recollect herself. “So…you can like pick up their scent, right?” she whispered, leaning towards him. “Track their footprints?”

Well…yes, he could do both, and that’s what he had been doing, but… “I was with the Navy, not the Navajo,” Owen snapped back in hushed tones. He wished he could shake the woman so that he could hunt down Zach (and Gray) with his senses, uninhibited. 

“So what should we do? What do you suggest we do?” Claire floundered.

Owen tried not to let his Alpha instincts preen at this stubborn and headstrong woman looking to him for guidance or leadership. Now was not the time to feel like king of the roost. 

“You go back to the control room. You’re needed there and will be of better use,” Owen advised. “I’ll find them.”

“No, these are _my_ nephews, and _we_ are going to find them,” she declared, and Owen knew her acquiescence of power to him would be but a dream.

“You’re hardly a Wilderness Girl, Claire. You’re wearing high heels for crying out loud! You’ll just get in the way. I can find them better on my own, where I don’t have to worry about you getting eaten.” Owen thought he made a fair and reasonable argument. This was wasting precious time, and Claire tagging along and fighting him at every turn was only going to cost them even more.

In response, Claire tore a slit in her skirt, dramatically unbuttoned her shirt only to tie it around her waist, and rolled up her sleeves.

Owen stared blankly at her. “What…I’m sorry, what are you doing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Claire placed her hands on her hips and posed, as if she thought she looked fierce or impressive, as if one good shove wouldn’t send her flying over the waterfall. “I’m finding them with you, whether you like it or not.”

Owen was tempted to growl and make her stand down, or just leave her to fend for herself. With a sigh, he realized that all fighting would accomplish would be to waste more time. “Fine, but _I_ am in charge out here. You do what I tell you to do, no questions, no complaints, got it? This is my domain.”

Claire narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. After a tense moment of her fighting against submission, she finally said through clenched teeth, “ _Fine_.”

Satisfied, knowing that that was as good a relinquish of power and control as he was ever going to get from the woman, Owen nodded, before turning around and stalking off toward the jungle, trying to catch a trace of Zach’s scent without going to the bottom of the waterfall.

“Anything nearby of interest?” Owen asked in hushed tones.

His companion was silent for a few minutes as they trekked on, wracking her brain. “There are a couple old outposts, buildings leftover from the original park. They’re probably in a pretty bad state—we abandoned them. Figured it would be in bad taste to reuse anything from the first park.”

Owen rolled his eyes at the hypocrisy of that statement, but kept his thoughts to himself. He took deep breaths to calm himself so that he could focus his senses—they’d need all of them in order to make it out of this alive.

 

* * *

 

A bloodied helmet laid in front of a broken jeep, with no bodies in sight, and Zach felt his mouth go dry. The creature was killing—he and Gray had been lucky to survive. They had been wandering around, trying to find their way out or someone—anyone—else. 

Gray picked up the helmet, and Zach took it from him before he could hyperventilate. He tossed it aside, looking at the sparking jeep. Gray clung onto Zach’s arm for dear life, breathing heavily, on the verge of a panic attack. 

Zach allowed the contact, because it beat turning around and finding Gray missing. 

As they reached the jeep, several feet away from the bloodied and mangled helmet, Zach looked around for any signs that they weren’t alone. His attention was caught, however, by what lay hidden beyond the jeep, the surrounding foliage trying to swallow it whole. Gray clutched his arm as Zach led them up uneven stone steps to large iron doors. 

The doors took effort from both of them to open, and inside the jungle had claimed the dilapidated building. Once Zach had lit a torch (he may or may not watch too many adventure movies), they slowly surveyed their surroundings. The main room that they entered into had a domed glass ceiling, and colorful paintings adorned the walls, but it was almost completely overrun by green.

In a dark hallway, Zach slowly stroked his hand over the snout of a raptor, the life-like painting still unmarred and perfect, before remembering himself and moving on. He called after his brother when he found the younger boy lingering, staring at the raptor painting. The last thing Zach needed was for Gray to remember the incident in the raptor paddock and freak out.

They wandered through hallways, peaking into crumbling rooms containing little interest, and by the time they stumbled upon a garage of sorts, Zach felt like they were archaeologists in a ruin. Or grave-robbers, as it were.

Gray’s inspection of an old jeep covered in vines and dirt cut Zach’s investigations of the room short. He turned to the car, studying it briefly, before his eyes flitted over to Gray. “Hey, remember when we fixed up Grandpa’s old car last summer?” Zach asked, studying the surface of the jeep under the light of the torch. 

They swept the debris away to reveal that the jeep wasn’t even in that bad of a condition, what with sitting in this garage for a couple of decades. Zach handed Gray the torch so that he could open the hood. It was stiff at first, but then it swung open with such a force that Zach nearly fell onto the engine. 

They worked rather well as a team, Zach with his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, hands deep under the hood, while Gray held the torch and procured the tools that Zach requested, sometimes handing him the right tool before he’d even asked. Every sound they heard made them jump, Gray constantly looking around and fidgeting. If that white beast was on the loose, who knew what else was…

Zach’s eye caught on the Jurassic Park emblem brandished on the sides of the jeep as he stepped back to survey the condition of the rest of the vehicle, once the engine was as good as he was going to get it. 

History repeating itself, because nothing had been learned the first time around.

They had just finished with the vehicle and were satisfied to drop the hood and try it out, when they heard the iron front door open with a creak, the hinges rusted over. Whoever was opening them had used more force or strength than the brothers had. 

Both of the boys paused and stared at each other, holding their breaths so that they could hear, although the pounding of their hearts in their ears drowned out all else.

Zach pulled Gray down to the ground in front of the jeep, patting out the torch with his jacket and then using the ruined fabric to smother the smoke that was threatening to escape and give them away. He and Gray sat with their backs to the grille of the vehicle, their shoulders pressed tightly together in order to squeeze themselves out of sight. 

The only weapon they had was a dead torch, but Zach would be damned if he didn’t try to use it. 

A clacking noise resounded off of the walls, distant but growing nearer through the halls. Zach covered Gray’s mouth with his hand, and when the clacking stopped right at the doorway, he covered his own mouth with the other hand. The dead torch lay at his feet, within easy reach.

Something let out a sigh in the doorway, and Zach and Gray dared not peak around the jeep. Instead, they waited. 

When a hand firmly gripped the shoulder that wasn’t pressed against Gray’s, Zach jerked violently to the side, grabbing and brandishing the old dinosaur tooth that had acted as their torch. He was sprawled out on his back with his soft stomach exposed to hungry teeth.

When familiar hooded jade eyes stared down at him instead, Zach felt like he could cry in relief.

“Zach! Gray!” Claire cried out, clacking in her heels until she was kneeling beside them. Gray barreled toward her with open arms, and she pulled him close to her body. 

Avoiding eye contact, Zach left the makeshift weapon on the ground and stood with help from the jeep. His arms wrapped around his abdomen as he hugged himself, gazing over at Claire and Gray, keeping his back turned to Owen.

_Don’t turn your back on a wild animal_ , floated into his mind.

“We fixed the car!” Gray said proudly to Claire, who looked visibly impressed at the news.

“That’s amazing, Gray! We can use that to get back to the park, since _someone_ abandoned our previous car in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’m going to check around for supplies,” a low voice rumbled from over Zach’s shoulder, and Zach startled, not realizing how close the older man had gotten. “Zach, come help me.” Zach’s stomach fell out and he felt himself grow warm, starting in his pelvis and spreading all over. “We’ll be right back.”

When Zach didn’t immediately follow him, Claire looked up and nodded to the door, smiling. “Go on.”

She didn’t realize what she was ultimately giving him permission to do, and who to do it with. 

Steadying his breaths, Zach turned around and walked toward Owen, who stood patiently in the doorway of the garage. He followed him down the hallway, turning into the next open room. 

Zach looked around, trying to pretend that he was alone, that what had happened between the raptor trainer and himself wasn’t still bothering him. He could play the flippant teenager, as he looked everywhere but at the man made of pure muscle behind him. 

The door clicking shut caused him to freeze, hands going numb. With a deep breath, he slowly turned around, only to find Owen’s eyes already on him, face unreadable. 

Owen took a step forward, and on pure instinct, Zach took a step back. Their dance continued until Zach’s back knocked against a wall. Panic started to seep in. 

The two locked eyes for a minute, both breathing deeply, before Owen lunged.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the summary of this story should actually be: "A story of angst, sexual tension, and more angst."
> 
> Also, you'll note that the rating has gone up on this story with this chapter. I wasn't sure if the contents of this chapter can warrant that rating, but I thought it better to be safe than sorry. Never you fear, though. It'll warrant that rating before we are done.
> 
> x.

**6.**

Zach thought to dodge out of the older man’s path too late, and he found himself trapped, with strong arms blocking escape on either side, the solid cement wall behind him, and the solid wall of muscle in front of him. 

Lips parted, Zach let out shaky breaths as his wide eyes trained on Owen, watching his every movement. When the man leaned down, Zach tilted his head to the side on instinct, and when he felt lips and stubble against his neck he let out a gasp. 

He tried not to be turned on, tried to remember that this was the same man who had made him feel like shit just the day before, but as Owen scented his neck up and down, Zach found his mind slowly fogging. All that was left was adrenaline, lust, and a _need_ —a need that scared Zach, intense and indescribable. 

A rumble from deep within Owen’s chest caused Zach’s knees to weaken and his head to feel light. A sharp tugging sensation induced Zach to close his eyes and let out an involuntary moan, as Owen bit his neck. Zach’s hands shot out to grasp Owen’s biceps for balance, as the older man licked the bloodless wound. 

He worked his way upwards, biting and sucking and licking the pale expanse of Zach’s neck, and the boy found himself stretching to try to give Owen as much canvas for his mouth as he could. 

After Owen had finished his path from the juncture where Zach’s neck met his shoulder, all the way up to just under his ear, he leaned his head away.

Zach opened his eyes as traces of panic filtered in, worried that Owen would leave him again, but his vision was level with one of the arms corded thick with muscle, still steady against the wall, and Zach let out a breath of relief that Owen seemed to plan to stay.

Calloused fingers from the hand on the other side of Zach’s head gripped his chin lightly, firmly guiding his head to face forward again, to force him to look at Owen. 

Owen’s eyes were reptilian again—golden irises with black slits for pupils in the center. They bored down on him with such focus and intent, and it went straight to Zach’s cock. 

Zach licked his lips, and Owen’s eyes shifting to stare at them was the only warning he got before Owen’s head dove down. The fingers that were holding Zach’s chin threaded upwards through his hair, until Owen’s large hand was cradling the back of Zach’s head and pulling it forward to meet his. 

Owen’s lips were warm and moulded against his perfectly, and Zach’s eyes slid closed as he let himself be engulfed by the older man. His hands slid over Owen’s arms, feeling every clothed muscle, before they circled around his neck. Zach’s body drew closer to Owen’s, until they were flush against each other, using the cement wall behind Zach for support as Owen pushed their bodies against it. 

Lips parted obediently to allow Owen every access, his tongue sweeping the cavern of Zach’s mouth thoroughly, staking his ownership. Zach’s toes curled at Owen’s exploration, stealing his breath with the lick of a tongue.

Tilting his head to try to get a better angle, Zach only felt the need to be closercloser _closer_ to the other man. His fingers tightly gripped the short hair they found purchase in, and he tried to push his body closer. Not close enough. 

A knee pressed in between Zach’s thighs, and he spread them readily so that he could straddle Owen’s thick leg. On pure base drive, Zach ground his hardened dick against Owen’s thigh, seeking friction. He moaned, breaking away from Owen’s mouth to gasp in air, heart pounding in his ears and in his chest and in between his legs. 

The mindless rhythm of his pelvis grinding against Owen’s thigh kept Zach vocal, and Owen sought his mouth out again once he’d had enough air, swallowing his moans and whimpers. 

While one of Owen’s hands was still cradling the back of Zach’s head to keep it from rubbing against the rough wall, his other detached itself from the wall and moved to Zach’s hip. It slid under his shirt and stroked the flesh just above Zach’s jeans with firm strokes. 

Zach panted into Owen’s mouth as the fingers moved slowly up Zach’s side, massaging the soft flesh. There was nothing beyond Owen—nothing beyond his scent, his body, his touch. Nothing else existed. Zach wanted more, wanted so much more. He’d never wanted to orgasm so badly in his life, needing completion, needing _more,_ needing it to come from Owen, to be because of Owen. His life and his body felt empty and he needed Owen to fill those voids, to make him full. He wanted warm skin against skin and everything that Owen could show him, could do to him, could make him feel. 

When the virile body against him froze suddenly, Zach didn’t even notice for a few seconds. When he did finally realize that the lips he was kissing were unresponsive, Zach pulled away, taking deep breaths to refill his lungs. “Owen,” he whined lowly, the first words that had been spoken between them since they’d left the garage. 

With heavy-lidded eyes, Zach gazed at Owen, taking a moment before his hazy mind and vision cleared enough to notice that something wasn’t right. 

“Owen?” Zach asked, his own voice foreign to him, deep and husky with lust. His hips paused atop Owen’s thigh.

Those eyes—still reptilian slits—wouldn’t meet his, looked anywhere but at his own dark brown irises, his own pupils blown wide with desire, he was sure. 

And then, as his senses slowly woke back up, Zach felt the warm palm that was solid and stiff against his bare back, fingers splayed out to possessively cover every inch of flesh they could.

_Oh._

Zach untangled his arms from around Owen, grabbing Owen’s wrist with one hand and dragging it around his body until the hand was against his bare chest instead. He kept it there, and with the other hand, he cupped Owen’s face and surged forward, bringing their lips back together. 

But the man was still unresponsive, and even pulled away. His knee withdrew from in between Zach’s legs, leaving the boy with an unattended throbbing erection, and his arms and hands departed from Zach’s vicinity in due course as well. Zach shivered at the sudden loss of all-consuming heat.

As he tried to catch his breath, Zach calmly watched Owen and waited, head tilted back against the wall, exposing his bruising throat to the Alpha. That caught Owen’s attention, at least, hungry eyes not dulled by the sudden revelation. 

“Zach…” Owen said softly, and it sounded almost pained to Zach’s ears. Whether the pain was from his pity, or from the restraint it took to pull himself away, the boy didn’t know. 

“Don’t,” Zach sneered with lips that were red and puffy and tender. 

“Show me.” Owen still wouldn’t meet his eyes. 

Zach felt the sting of tears behind his eyes, and the sudden rush of anger, both at himself and at Owen. He refused to comply, not moving an inch. 

Owen’s eyes finally, _finally_ , met Zach’s, and he could see the hard and furious edge to them. Zach’s breath caught in his throat, unable to look away from those eyes. 

“Show me,” Owen commanded, voice deep and raspy, keeping Zach’s erection going strong. 

With a defiance he didn’t know he could possess in such a moment as this, when his bones were jelly and his body was begging for sex, Zach didn’t obey. “Show me what else you’re hiding besides those eyes, first, _Alpha_.”

Owen growled and looked ready to lunge at Zach again, but his hands clenched into fists at his sides instead. 

“I’ll kill them,” Owen promised darkly, turning Zach on even more, even though he knew that it shouldn’t. “I’ll shred their hide inch by inch for daring to touch you.”

“What else would you do?” Zach asked, unable to stop himself, breathless at the primal show of Owen’s rage and possessiveness. 

Unable to hold back, Owen’s hands slammed onto the wall on either side of Zach’s head, causing the boy to flinch, but Owen’s body and head kept their distance, his arms fully extended. 

Something in Zach’s peripherals caused him to turned his head to the side, to ease his sudden confusion and curiosity and _noitcouldn’tbe_. But there, where the tips of Owen’s fingers should have been, were dark claws, piercing into the cement of the wall, bloodied from where they had dug into Owen’s palm. 

Zach’s breath hitched and his head whipped back to face Owen’s, searching his face that was near murderous. 

“I would tie them up and let them scream themselves ragged as I stripped their flesh raw with my own hands. Any place they ever touched you, anything they ever did to you, I would return it a hundredfold to them. I would take them to the edge of blackout from pain and blood-loss, but I would bring them back, keep them awake so that they could feel every single thing I did to them. They would beg for death, but the relief of death would be too good for them.”

Owen’s words came thickly over what Zach now saw were sharp teeth. This was not the same man who had held him on the beach, gently asking who had hurt him. Something, somewhere, had changed, but Zach’s mind couldn’t keep up.

“What…” Zach’s eyes flew up to meet Owen’s reptilian slits. “What _are you?”_

Eyes screwed shut, Owen flung himself away from Zach as if burned, turning his back as he tried to calm down. 

Nothing in the room moved for a long moment, suspended in time. 

“I’m sorry,” Owen ground out, at last breaking the silence. His back was still turned. “None of this should have ever happened.”

Zach let out a huff, suddenly exhausted from the hot and cold treatment he’d been experiencing from this man. “If you’re just going to keep rejecting me, then don’t even bother making me feel wanted in the first place.”

Owen didn’t move, didn’t speak.

“I don’t know what your deal is. If you’re more raptor than human…” Zach said, voice wavering. “But don’t pretend that you care and then act like I repulse you.”

When he was still met with silence, Zach walked uncomfortably toward the door.

“I do care, Zach. That’s the problem.”

Zach paused with his hand on the doorknob. “No one has ever cared about me, Owen. I don’t expect someone to start now. I don’t need your pity or your indignation, and I don’t want them. I thought I wanted you, and that was my mistake. You can’t see past the scars, and part of me wonders if you would even try to.”

When Owen gave no response, Zach pursed his lips and abruptly swung the door open, unable to get out of there quick enough. He walked uncomfortably down the hall to find another private area to fix his situation in, wiping roughly at his eyes along the way.

 

* * *

 

Owen stood with his eyes closed, hands curled tightly into fists. Fresh droplets of red dripped to the floor from where his claws pierced his flesh. 

He tried to drown out all of the noises, the sights, the smells—tried to block out the very beast inside of him tearing him apart. He had pushed the boy away for the last time, and he knew Zach would never look at him again. He’d used all his chances. 

Owen had not been strong enough to control himself, to keep from acting on his lust, and then his rage. He had not been strong enough to ignore the scent of Zach’s hurt and anger, the break in his voice as he tried to appear indifferent. He forced himself not to comfort the boy. The resignation emanating from the wisp behind him had been the worst. Owen realized with a pang that Zach had always expected to be disappointed by Owen, and the man had not failed.

But Owen had resisted the need to comfort. He had reeled himself back in after his weakness, had tried to detach himself entirely. He had hurt the boy in order to protect him, because that’s what Alphas were supposed to do. They were supposed to protect their pack no matter what, and to protect Zach, he had to push him out. 

The loss of control over his primal side, over his instincts and urges, had only hardened Owen’s earlier resolve. Zach would only come to fear and regret him, so by getting him to hate Owen instead, he could find someone better, who deserved him, who wouldn’t threaten a gory death on the perpetrator of the long strips of scars marring Zach’s back.

Zach could hate him, and then forget him as soon as he left to go back home. What was a silly almost-tryst with an older man over the course of a week? Especially when compared to the life-threatening danger that the island unleashed? Zach would forget him and move on. 

Something deep down broke inside of Owen, and he didn’t try to stifle the hate he felt for himself that seeped out of it. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One way or another, I'm gonna find ya, I'm gonna get'cha get'cha get'cha...
> 
> ...more angst.
> 
> Endless angst.
> 
> The angstier the better.
> 
> Dream of angst tonight, my friends.
> 
> Further angst to come.
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter. Not really though.
> 
> x.

**7.**

The garage seemed dimmer than when Owen had last been in its. He realized after a second that it was because it was lacking someone.

“Where’s Zach?” Owen asked.

Claire jumped, startled, before spinning around to find Owen at the door. “What do you mean, ‘where’s Zach?’ He was with you!”

Owen licked his lips, but it did nothing to alleviate his dry mouth. “We split up in order to cover more rooms. I thought he would have returned back here by now.”

“You left him _alone?_ ” Claire nearly hissed, eyes bulging out of her head. “We need to find him!”

The memory of how Zach had left rose unbidden to the forefront of Owen’s mind. Every time he hurt the boy, trouble always seemed to follow. 

A terrible feeling curled in Owen’s stomach, just before a loud roar shook the dust off the rafters. 

Claire screamed, but quickly cut herself off with her own hand slapped over her mouth, and she covered Gray’s mouth for good measure. Her wide eyes looked up and then turned to Owen, looking for guidance. 

The last time Owen had hurt Zach, the Indominous Rex had found the boy first. 

“Claire, you and Gray get in the jeep and drive back to the park,” Owen ordered, interrupting Claire when she opened her mouth to protest. “I’m going to grab Zach and we are going to follow you close behind in one of those ATV’s.”

“I am _not_ leaving without everyone, Owen,” Claire whispered.

“You need to get yourself and _Gray_ back to safety,” Owen reasoned. “You’re only putting yourself and your _very young and defenseless nephew_ at risk by staying here longer. The Indominous Rex can sense heat signatures—the more bodies in one place, the more its likely to come knocking. I’ve worked with dinosaurs, I’ve been in the Navy—I can handle getting myself and Zach back to the park in one piece. You need to trust me, Claire.”

Claire seemed to war with herself, but they were losing such precious time by arguing, and for all Owen knew, Zach could already be—

Gray cut off that train of thought by hopping into the jeep. “Aunt Claire, come on. We don’t have time for a better plan. They need you back at control, and there’s certainly nothing _I_ can do to help,” Gray said, somewhat bitterly.

Claire squeezed her eyes shut for half a second before turning on Owen. When she was right in front of him, she poked at his chest with her finger, staring fiercely into his eyes. “You bring Zach back, you hear me? I am _not_ losing him to this monster.”

Owen didn’t back down. “You have my word.”

Claire nodded before flying over to the jeep and starting it up. Owen hit the garage door opener attached to the side of the wall, and only once the doors started opening and the engine kicked into gear, did he then run out of the room and down the hall.

Owen followed his nose, not trusting the eerie silence.

 

* * *

 

Minutes passed by in haunted silence as Zach rested his forehead against the dusty cement wall, eyes closed, shame and anger flooding every ounce of his body. Shame for the way he had remembered Owen’s eyes and claws and teeth as he had relieved himself in his hand. Anger that the universe always dangled the possibility of something, but snatched it back before Zach could ever reach out and grasp it. 

So angry, so tired, so done.

Zach was so done with it all.

He tucked himself back into his jeans, wiping his hands against an old rag he had found. 

The thought of returning to Claire and Gray, of seeing Owen again, after what had happened… Zach could hardly bare it. 

One more thing to hide, one more thing to ignore. Zach was so tired of pretending everything was alright when nothing ever had been.

He stepped out into the hallway, looking left and right, before choosing right, his feet leaden as he drew himself away from the party. He didn’t want to think about why he was doing it, didn’t want to put names to these feelings. So they were shoved back down, back with the rest, down into the pit. 

The winding hallway ended in a kitchen. Zach spotted a heavy metal backdoor, and made his way automatically over to it.

With some effort, Zach was once again surrounded by the jungle. He breathed a sigh of relief and slid down the outside wall, gazing unseeingly at the surrounding trees.

He closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall, listening to the silence.

A deafening roar jolted him, but he remained sitting, opening his eyes to find the large white dinosaur appearing before him, un-camouflaging itself. Fear quickened Zach’s heart, and he could hear and feel it thunder at a rabbit’s pace. But still he did not move.

The dinosaur stepped closer, and Zach looked up at its too many teeth, a hint of red surrounding its mouth.

“Why do you kill?” Zach asked, not expecting a reply.

The white dinosaur paused, seemingly surprised. It studied Zach for a moment, but made no move to come closer. [Why live?]

Zach blinked his shock away. “But…you’re free now. You don’t have to kill.”

[I freed the others.]

It took a few seconds of staring at the red smudged around the dinosaur’s mouth before Zach understood. “You didn’t free them, you killed them.”

[For us, same.]

“I want to be free, too,” Zach admitted, the adrenaline running his mouth.

The dinosaur made no move toward him.

“If you continue this, they’re going to kill you.”

[I know.]

“You want to die?”

[Why live? Death is free.]

A sickening chill ran down Zach’s spine at the thought that this creature was trying to give her creators enough of a reason to end their expensive, impressive creation—make it so that they had no choice _except_ to put her down.

“You’ll never be free in life,” Zach murmured. “Not living in a cage. Not when they are always coming for you, taking from you.”

[I could kill all of you.]

Zach smiled humorlessly. “I think I’m closer to you than I am to them.”

[You look like them. Smell like them.]

“That’s the kicker, isn’t it? I don’t look the monster, but I’m still trapped in a cage too.”

The dinosaur stilled suddenly, eyes quickly narrowing. A low growl rumbled out, before her head snapped to the side. 

Zach made to look too, to see what had caught her attention, but before he could find the subject of her focus, his breath was trapped in his lungs. Long, rough claws wrapped themselves around his torso and lifted.

 

* * *

  

Owen’s senses tried their best to hone in on Zach as he searched for the boy. He caught a trail of his scent and latched onto it, following it at a run. He turned into a room where his sent was the strongest, and recoiled as if slapped.

The room was drenched in the smell of sex and Zach. With a groan, Owen was acutely aware that this was not the time to be aroused. Of course he had known what would happen once Zach had fled earlier, but he’d tried to push it far out of his mind.

Forcibly removing himself from the room that clearly contained no Zach, Owen tried to get a lock on his scent again, but he was too overwhelmed with the smell of Zach’s relief that he couldn’t get any other lock on where the boy was. He looked in every room.

Owen returned to the garage, grabbed his rifle, and slid out of the open garage doors. Perhaps Zach had slipped outside. In any case, the clean air would help clear Owen’s nasal passage and allow any new traces to filter in.

He staked the perimeter of the dilapidated building, before he mercifully caught a hint of Zach’s scent. As quietly as he could, he followed it, gun at the ready.

“Why do you kill?”

Owen paused. That was Zach’s voice, he knew it. He focused on the sound, strained his ears. The boy was close.

[Why live?]

Oh God. 

Zach wasn’t alone.

[I freed the others.]

“You didn’t free them, you killed them.”

Owen’s blood ran cold and his fingers tightened around the rifle, knuckles turning white. 

It was the Indominous Rex. Zach was _talking_ to it, and it was talking _back._

And Owen could _understand the damned thing._

The gun creaked in Owen’s hands. No wonder no one would tell Claire and Masrani and him what was in that thing. It was part raptor…

“I want to be free, too.”

Owen tried to move. Really, he did. Zach had practically asked for his own death at the teeth and claws of that abomination. And yet, Owen was frozen in place, his horror battling his awe at secretly witnessing Zach’s gift to this extent. He’d experienced Zach communicating with the raptors before, but this…this was a conversation practically. And the monster hadn’t killed him yet.

“That’s the kicker, isn’t it? I don’t look the monster, but I’m still trapped in a cage too.”

The cold, dead metal of the gun suddenly felt like the rigid and raised scars on Zach’s back…so many of them…

Zach could speak to animals, and he was treated as one in turn.

The rifle groaned loudly before snapping in half with the force of Owen’s claws. Owen’s breath caught in his throat as he looked down at the destroyed weapon.

A short scream finally thawed him, and Owen dropped the useless weapon as he ran the rest of the way, only to find the Indominous Rex clutching Zach in its claw, holding him in the air. 

_Mate. Danger. Mate. Protect. Mate._

_“Mine_ ,” Owen roared in challenge to the march larger, much deadlier creature. For the first time, he wished that the scientists had done more, had been able to fully alter him. If only he could shift into a raptor, if only he could shed this weak human skin…

The dinosaur roared back, but did not come for Owen.

Owen’s eyes locked onto Zach, struggling inside the dinosaur’s grip, wide-eyed and scared.

“Let me go!” Zach cried out. He continued thrashing until he felt the dinosaur step forward, and then he stilled. “No!” he shouted, anticipating its intention to take Owen up on his challenge and kill him. “Don’t hurt him!”

Body tensed with anticipation, Owen watched as the dinosaur paused, eyes flitting to Zach for a brief second, before it listened to him. He watched as the white monstrosity peered down at him, snarled, and then turned.

Owen watched, helpless, as the Indominous Rex disappeared with Zach.

And he knew, head tilted back and roaring, that one way or the other, one of them was going to die.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a dozen excuses, but at the end of the day, all that matters is that I haven't given up on this story, and I hope you haven't either.
> 
> There is an end in sight, a light at the end of the tunnel. I'll meet you there.

**8.**

It was a moment that Owen had been dreading, but he was comforted by the presence of his pack enough to take a deep breath and plunge into the waters. 

With the cell phone pressed to his ear, Owen kept count of the rhythm of his breaths, syncing them to that of Blue, who was sat in front of him on the other side of the cage, watching and waiting. 

“ _Owen_ ,” he heard on the other end of the phone, voice frantic and shaky. “Did you find him? Are you two okay? Where are you now? Are you in the park? Gray and I are in the control center, helping to sort this mess out. We’ve lost visual on the Indominous Rex, but we’re working on tracking her down again.”

“Claire—”

“Hoskins was just in here, making a big ruckus as usual. He’d like to use your raptors, Owen, to help track down the Indominous. I don’t think it’s a bad plan, even if I do hate the sight of the man. What do you think?”

Owen’s breath hitched. He had already considered consulting his pack on the lost boy, on running with them to find him. He couldn’t very well do that if they had cameras strapped to them, under the private contractor’s surveillance. 

“I—”

“Put Zach on. I want to hear him, to make sure he’s okay. And promise to never let him out of my sight again.”

Eyes squeezed shut, phone held tightly to his ear, a beat passed. “Claire, I’ve been trying to tell you. I called because Zach…”

“What? What’s wrong with him? What about Zach? Owen, put him _on.”_

“Zach isn’t here,” Owen said through clenched teeth, free hand gripping the metal bar of the cage. He felt Blue nuzzle into it to try to calm him down. “The Indominous Rex found him first.”

There was silence, and Owen’s brain caught up with his mouth.

“He’s alive!” Owen rushed, despite not knowing for sure. He had to believe it though, the way that the two had communicated, the way that the creature had listened to Zach… She wouldn’t kill him. “Claire, Zach _is_ alive, but the Indominous took him. I-I lost them…”

A beat. 

“What happened?”

By the way her voice was muffled, Owen could imagine her holding a hand over her mouth, quieter now so that Gray wouldn’t hear. 

“It found him before I did,” Owen admitted. “But I saw him. He was whole and alive and uninjured when it took him away. I don’t know why.” And he didn’t. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Why would the monster bent on violence and killing keep a young human alive? Take him with her?

“I will find them. My girls and I _will_ find them, and I swear to you, I will not rest until Zach is in my arms, safe.” It wasn’t until after he had spoken that Owen realized he had admitted to Claire—in some small way—that Zach’s place was with him. In that moment of pure fear, when Zach was so close to danger and death, Owen’s instincts had overwhelmed him. He’d realized more in that moment than he’d care to admit, the very things he’d been running from and dampening down and denying since he’d met the boy.

_Mate._

It took a second for Owen to realize Claire was talking. “I’m authorizing Hoskins to go after that thing with everything he’s got. He can sell its hide for all I care. But one way or another, I want that thing dead and I want Zach back.”

To the victor go the spoils…

The memory of Hoskins advancing on Zach rose to the forefront of Owen’s mind and he bit back a growl, knowing he was flashing his eyes. He couldn’t let any of the vile creatures that had tampered with him find out about how special Zach was. If Wu knew…

“My girls and I will find him, Claire,” he promised.

“You’d better, Owen.”

The line went dead. 

Owen shoved the phone into his pocket without a second glance at it, watching instead as Charlie and Echo drew closer. Delta stood back, surveying their surroundings, making sure no other threat would surface unexpectedly, even from within their enclosure.

Suddenly, Owen was flooded with the answer he had been looking for just minutes prior, as he watched his pack. The Indominous Rex hadn’t been born into solitude—she had had a sister, whom she had killed. 

She was _lonely._

Zach could understand her, and she could understand him. Whereas other humans’ words would float over his raptors’ ears as white noise, as a foreign language they couldn’t quite grasp, he and Zach could breach that with a language they understood. The Indominous was part raptor, and Zach was the first creature she had encountered since the death of her sister who she could communicate with. 

Owen slumped against the bars of the cage.

_The boy was lonely too_. Rejected and cast aside, hiding a secret out of fear. He’d been hurt so many times, and Owen had only served to hurt him more. Walls had gone down for the man, and in response, Owen had built an ocean in between. It made him wonder how many times Zach had been burned before, when he’d dared to open himself up, make himself vulnerable. Owen wondered how many more times it would take before Zach gave up entirely. Next time he asked for freedom in death, the creature on the other end might not be so lonely. The creature might be human instead.

Scars didn’t just happen.

 [Alpha sad.]

“I’m angry,” Owen supplied, looking into the concerned eyes of Echo. “And frustrated. And scared.” Echo cooed. “And sad,” he relented.

[Where mate?]

Owen jolted, looking to Blue. “You know?” Blue gave him an unamused look. “All of you knew?” He turned a scrutinizing eye toward each of his girls, brows furrowing when they nodded. “How?”

[You care. Protect. Let him near us. Proud of him.]

Eyes closed, Owen swallowed thickly, hands clenching the metal bars of the cage so hard he imagined them bending.

“He’s in danger,” Owen murmured, and he heard the growls in response. “We need to find him, protect him.”

[Protect mate.]

[Kill threat.]

“Thank you,” Owen breathed, opening his eyes and regarding each member of his pack, finally resting on his Beta. “Thank you,” he breathed again, could feel deep in his bones the relief that their rally brought to him. It meant his pack had accepted Zach already, wanted him safe and with their Alpha. They would protect him as one of their own, even though they knew an Alpha Mate was higher on the food chain than any of them, including Blue. They’d accepted that, and accepted Zach as the proper choice.

Owen knew it had never been a matter of choice, not for him… he’d been taken by the boy from the moment he’d seen him, heard the catch in his throat at the mention of Owen’s status. Even before he’d learned of Zach’s gift, he’d known there was something special about him. The way Zach hadn’t hesitated before protecting Gray when he’d fallen in the cage, or comforting Echo when he and Hoskins had been arguing…these filled him with a longing that was deeper than the lust he felt for the boy. He wanted to find the core of Zach’s being, to learn everything about him, to encourage and nurture him and his kindness and protectiveness. He wanted to show Zach that it was okay to care, that it was okay to be clever and intelligent and kind and adventurous. It was okay to allow himself to let go and be free and embrace who he was. He didn’t have to hide or be afraid.

Guilt bloomed stronger than it ever had before, and Owen surrendered himself to it. He’d knowingly hurt the boy he longed to have as his mate, and he’d have to acknowledge that, to own up to it and make amends. Once he found Zach, he would make sure that his mate never felt rejected or betrayed or hurt ever again. 

As he informed his pack of how they would go about hunting down and taking out the threat, of how Zach was to remain unharmed at all times, his conviction was fueled by a further realization. 

He had never seen Zach smile before. Even if he died in the process, he would fix that.

 

* * *

 

“Where are you taking me?” Zach asked, arms shielding his head from the surrounding branches as the dinosaur clambered through the jungle. From time to time, his arms would need to fly down to clutch at her claws, afraid he would fall, but by now his heart had slowed down to an almost-normal pace. 

A large eye slid over to him, blinking, before turning away.

This silent treatment had gone on for longer than Zach could stand it. Even worse was the anticipation—would the creature decide it was tired of Zach, realize that it was easier to just kill him than keep him? And every time she would tilt her head or pause for a second, Zach’s heart would lodge itself in his throat, and he would look around wildly, expecting to find Owen.

He remembered how it had felt when Owen had stumbled upon the dinosaur and him. Even now, the sheer horror of this dinosaur approaching Owen made him feel sick to his stomach, the thought of Owen dying. If she hadn’t listened to his plea that she not harm Owen…

Despite what he and Owen had been through, despite the way the man turned him away over and over again, Zach couldn’t bare the idea of something happening to the older man. He blamed his stupid teenage hormones, blamed his fucked up emotional and mental issues. Of course he would keep pining over and falling for a much older man that wanted nothing to do with him. Of course he would. Nothing ever came easy to Zach.

“Why didn’t you hurt Owen?”

Again, she ignored him. At this point, it was just so Zach could hear himself speak. Try to normalize the situation. 

A break in the canopy above them allowed for light to crash through, and it highlighted the creature in front of him, causing Zach’s heart to skip a beat. If possible, she was even scarier in the light. Pale white, looking like an odd mix of a T-Rex and too many other things, so wholly unnatural. With a twist of her neck, he was met with long stripes that he hadn’t noticed before. Long, jagged, and old. 

“Do they hurt you? The humans?” Zach asked, his own back itchy.

A falter in her step, a puff of breath from her nostrils. [Not them. Sister.]

“Where is she?”

[I killed her.]

Zach sucked in a breath. “Why did she hurt you?”

[She was slower, larger. But I was Alpha. She wanted to be. She attacked.]

“Owen’s an Alpha. He’ll come for me,” Zach said, desperately wishing it to be true, even if Owen never wanted to see him again afterwards. Even if Zach was continually pushed to and pulled from the man, like the waves on the beach. Owen was the ocean—vast and wild and untamed, free. Maybe that was what drew Zach to him. 

[I know.]

Zach paused for a minute, arms rushing up once more to shield his head as a large branch scraped against his skin. 

[He will come for you. He will kill me.]

“You sound so sure.”

[You are his mate. He has no choice but to kill me. I am threat.]

Zach coughed, feeling as if the claws were constricting his lungs, his heart. He knew animals, knew what words like mate meant in the human study of them, but knew so much more by his own reluctant study. There was no possible way that this was true. For one, he was the wrong sex—he would never be able to provide offspring. For another, it was quite clear that Owen was not fully human, and Zach was (albeit a freak of one). It felt almost like they weren’t the same species. Alphas didn’t need simpering, weak, useless mates. They would be attracted to strong and capable and dependable ones, ones who could take care of themselves as well as the Alpha. Zach was none of those things. What would Owen see in him other than an angry, emotional, scrawny teenage boy?

“I have scars too,” Zach admitted to the dinosaur. “I’m the Omega of the wolf pack, as it were. The weak link, the odd one out.”

[Did you kill them too?]

“No,” Zach breathed out, though it would be a lie to say that he hadn’t thought of it. “I’m not brave enough, not strong enough.”

[One day, you will have to be.]

“Not if I die here…”

The dinosaur said nothing to that.

Eyes closing once more, Zach tried to take deep, slow breaths, to calm himself back down into that place of indifference, tried to let his mind float into a void of numbness. All it really accomplished was him feeling seasick, and his eyes flinging open again to avoid nausea. 

He needed to meditate. Needed to detach. What did he care if Owen came?

“Are you going to kill me?”

The stomping of foliage and the snapping of branches was his only answer.

 

* * *

 

The vials were lifted by a pair of padded pliers, hands steady with careful caution as they lowered the vials into the case.

Dr. Henry Wu looked over the case with satisfaction, each vial fitted perfectly into place. He closed the lid with a _click_ , locking it with his biometrics. 

“Hurry up with the rest,” Wu instructed the others, dressed in biohazard suits. Some were fellow scientists, others only InGen lackeys, but Wu trusted them all as far as he could throw them. “And _be gentle_.” 

“What’s going on here?” 

Wu held back an agitated sigh at the familiar clipped voice, before turning around, forcing a smile. “We’ve got to save the lab, don’t we?”

Claire wasn’t brilliant, not by a long-shot in Wu’s estimate, but she was still more intelligent than he would like. And observant, as her eyes flitted to the cases and the hazmats. 

“No one authorized you to do this,” she said.

“Miss Dearing, this is millions and millions of dollars in research and experimentation. You can’t expect it to go down with the island, can you? All of our work in vain?”

A small noise behind Claire caused Wu to look down, seeing a young boy with a mop of sandy hair. “Where’s the other one?” he asked before he caught himself.

The young boy scowled at him with distrustful eyes. Clever boy.

“Lose _another_ asset?” Wu tisked, clicking his tongue in distaste. “My, what a track record you’ve got going, Miss Dearing.”

His words seemed to offend the woman, offering him a deep satisfaction.

“You ought to remember where you misplaced him, though. That kid is rather valuable.” 

The offense in her expression deepened, added to by the sudden bloom of horror. “What are you talking about?”

Wu blinked innocently. “What? You don’t know?” He watched the confusion and stubborn pride war on the redheaded woman’s face. Wu reveled. “That older kid of yours is _very_ special. You really shouldn’t let him out of your sight. Never know who could just _snatch_ him up.” He knew better than to reveal this, but something about the woman had always made him want to ruffle her feathers, goad her to become an unpolished mess, to _unhinge_.

“You stay the hell away from my nephews,” she sneered, coming closer. Wu noticed the distinct shine of a scalpel suddenly in her hands. “I don’t know what on earth you’re talking about—I want to know even less what you’re thinking—but if you so much as look at either of my nephews wrong, I’ll make you regret it.”

Wu was unafraid. “With what, Miss Dearing? Searing memos?” he taunted. 

“I’ve got a man that dinosaurs listen to on my side,” Claire threatened.

The bait was dangling and Claire didn’t even realize she’d cast it. “Yes, but who does _Mr. Grady_ listen to?” Wu taunted, flaunting both the knowledge of what Claire was alluding to, as well as the knowledge that he knew something vastly superior to her own flimsy intel.

Claire’s eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t get it, didn’t understand. Wu could laugh at the whole ordeal, at the fact that he knew and she didn’t. But he wouldn’t spoil the fun, spoil the surprise. One way or another, she would know soon enough. He only wished he could be there when she found out.

“As amusing as watching your brain slowly wither under the chemicals in your hair is, I have better things to do. People to see, places to be—namely, off of this island. Good day to you, lovely of you to stop by.”

Wu turned around, grabbed the case he had just sealed, and exited out of a back doorway, all in a flourish. 

He grinned to himself as he climbed the stairwell to the rooftop, where an InGen helicopter would be waiting. 

There were monsters that needed creating, genes that needed splicing, beasts that needed taming.

 

* * *

 

Zach recognized the base of the waterfall. What were they doing back here? He opened his mouth to ask. “I don’t even know your name,” he said instead. What the fuck? Where did that come from?

[None.]

“They never gave you a name?” Zach asked. She started moving them both toward the mouth of the waterfall. “Do you want one?”

[No. Better this way. Names attach you.]

“My name is Zach,” he said suddenly. 

[No difference.]

Before Zach could open his mouth to offer to give her a name, he was suddenly drenched and choking on water. Lying on his stomach on the ground, propped up on his elbows, he watched as the dinosaur withdrew her claws from him. There was a cave hidden behind the base of the waterfall, where she’d deposited him. 

Zach heaved. “What are you doing?”

Suddenly a loud, grating noise caused him to smack his hands over his ears and yelp. The light in the cave started dimming, and Zach understood.

“No! Stop!” He rushed toward the opening of the cave, but he was too late. “Don’t! Let me out!”

[Some deserve death. Not you, Zach.]

“No! Come back!” Zach cried out, shoving against the large boulder now blocking the cave’s entrance, scraping his shoulders and back against it, trying to push and pull and pry. Squeeze. Climb. Crawl. Nothing worked. The rushing sound of water drowned out everything, and Zach fell to his knees, hands braced against the boulder.

Claustrophobia filled the void of light in the cave, and Zach could hear himself start to hyperventilate. 

Trapped. _Trappedtrappedtrappedtrapped._

Zach felt a guttural scream rip out of his chest. He rushed the boulder again, shoving against it and pounding it with his fists, scraping against it with his nails until he felt them tear and bleed.

Knees wobbled and then gave way underneath him, and Zach crumpled to the ground, sobs wrenching from his lungs. He continued screaming.

The dinosaur had locked him away where no one would ever find him, and had left him in the cold, dark pit, alone. If she died, so would he. If she lived…

She was going to kill Owen, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was useless. Owen would be dead because of him—because she knew what the man meant to him, even if he didn’t believe her words of mate. 

Did she think Owen was the one to strip the flesh from his back? Did she think him in danger from the man who had kissed him so intimately only hours before? Had it really only been hours? Had he really only been on this island around a week? 

Maybe some deserved death, but not Owen. Even if the man never wanted to see him again, even if the man was repulsed by the thought of touching him, Zach cried at the thought of the other man dead. Zach didn’t need his love, didn’t need his care or even his attention.

Wiping violently at his eyes, Zach pushed himself off the ground. He had to keep trying. There had to be a way.

Very little light was afforded in the cave, making Zach use his battered fingertips to gently search the walls, looking for any cracks or openings. Whenever his fingers would curve into a divot, he would shout involuntarily in pain.

_Closinginclosinginclosingin._

Zach squeezed his eyes shut, but they flew open when he heard voices. He looked around the small cave, eyes darting about wildly.

_“Please! I’m sorry! I’ll be good!”_

“No,” Zach breathed out.

_“Please! Let me out! Please!”_

“Stop,” Zach cried, hands gripping his hair, clenching the roots tightly. He pulled, trying to ground himself with the pain. 

He leant his back against one of the walls of the cave for stability, eyes still darting, adjusting to the darkness.

“This isn’t the closet,” he whispered to himself. “This isn’t the closet.”

There was no one else here.

The waterfall crashed loudly to his right. 

With shaky hands, Zach returned to his task of searching the wall, but he couldn’t remember what he was looking for. 

_“I wish you had never been born.”_

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure about this, Owen?” Barry asked from beside the other man, watching the raptors warily. The four girls knew what was coming, and they were restless to get out of their enclosure and run wild in the jungle of Isla Nublar. “Maybe you should just let InGen’s military forces find the Indominus.”

Owen was almost as restless to join his pack in the hunt. “Guns are great and all, but no one under Hoskins is shooting to kill, and that thing isn’t gonna go down without a fight. My girls? They’re ruthless, driven by instinct. They won’t hesitate.”

Barry didn’t know about Zach, and Owen wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. Barry knew and understood a lot of things, but not this. 

Owen straddled his motorcycle. He knew he was a quick runner, but he would need to save his strength and energy for when they found the Indominus and Zach, no matter how much he longed to be as wild as his pack. This was not the time for that. 

A hand closed comfortingly around his shoulder, and Owen looked up at who he considered his closest friend. “Just come back, alright?” Owen pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. The hand at his shoulder squeezed briefly before Barry left to open the four doors for the raptors.

Owen revved the engine of the motorcycle. 

“Ready?” Barry called from somewhere above him. Owen didn’t look.

Eyes closed, Owen let his senses heighten, stretching them out, trying to lock on to a trace of the Indominus or Zach. His eyes snapped open, narrowing. “Ready!”

He heard the doors slide upward, and Owen shot off on the motorcycle, into the foliage. He was joined quickly by his pack, who shrieked at the thrill of roaming free. 

“Remember the mission,” Owen barked at them, as they swarmed around him, keeping his pace. 

[Find mate.]

[Kill threat.]

They travelled deep into the jungle, relying on their senses alone. Everything was sharpened and intensified, and Owen couldn’t remember the last time he had let loose the rein he had on his animalistic faculties. He could feel the very essence of his raptors hum in accord with his own being. 

Owen slowed steadily to a stop when he caught a particularly strong trace of the Indominus. His pack stopped with him, heads twitching as they too caught on to the hunted dinosaur. Owen’s ears twitched as he heard branches snapping, rapidly oncoming. 

The monster had caught trace of them too. 

It reared its large, ugly white head from the thicket, roaring loudly. It was alone, and that left a sickening feeling deep within the Alpha’s gut.

Owen let his motorcycle fall to the ground, pulling his rocket launcher around his back and onto his shoulder. He aimed at the Indominus and shot, hitting it right in the neck. 

The creature cried out and fell backwards, but soon climbed back onto its feet. 

[You will lose.]

Owen felt his fingertips lengthen, bumping into each other as he still held onto the rocket launcher. 

[I have your mate.]

Eyes widened slightly at the news that Zach was alive and hidden somewhere, hopefully uninjured. 

At the mention of the boy, the raptors flung themselves at the far larger hybrid, clawing into it and tearing at it with their mouths. They were flung off in succession.

[You don’t deserve him.]

Owen fired again once all his raptors were on the ground, hitting the Indominus in its shoulder. It crashed into trees, snapping them loudly, but did not fall this time. 

[He is _my_ pack now.]

Fangs descended, teeth sharpening, and Owen wished he could kill this thing with only his bare hands and mouth. “He is _mine._ ” The girls cried out in rage as they threw themselves at the monster again, getting flung off one at a time again. Owen could see blood starting to seep from wounds—whether shallow or otherwise—and staining the creature’s white hide.

[You can’t protect him.] 

Owen watched as the Indominus turned its attention toward the raptors that stood between the two Alphas. 

[He can’t protect you. _I_ can.]

[We don’t want you!] Delta snapped angrily.

[Bring back mate!] cried Echo.

[Your Alpha is human. Weak, cruel, selfish. Humans hurt Alpha Mate, hurt us. Human Alpha will hurt you, hurt his mate.]

[Liar!] growled Charlie.

[You like cages and doing tricks for humans? You like being their _pets?_ ]

[I am _not_ ‘pet’!] Delta snarled.

[You are his pet.] The Indominus turned its attention to Owen, and the raptors turned around to face him as well.

Somehow managing to keep his breathing calm, Owen couldn’t help the feeling that his heart was breaking.

[Not pet.]

[He is your Master.] The Indominus bit out.

[Human?]

They looked at him as if they had never realized before that he was of a different species than them, of the same species that got to roam free while they did not. He had been with them all since they had hatched, had imprinted on them immediately, and they had never given thought to him being something _other_ than pack and Alpha.

“You’re my family,” Owen whispered.

The Indominus roared in response.

He could see his raptors caving under the influence of a far larger and more powerful Alpha, of a creature so unnatural, yet so like them, that they couldn’t fight its logic, its pull. He watched them try, but ultimately, he saw the shuffle of their legs as they put space between themselves and Owen—the human, the _other_.

“Zach is human. Why keep him? Give him back to me,” Owen tried to reason, his voice cracking.

[You are not worthy.]

Owen growled. What remained of his humanity in this moment was the only thing holding him back from challenging the other Alpha to the death—because it told his primal instincts that he would not win, and then what would he be to Zach? Dead and useless. If he couldn’t protect his pack, protect Zach, then what was the point of being Alpha?

Before he could ready the rocket launcher again, the Indominous left, the raptors following her. Owen felt his eyes sting, watching his pack leave… He’d failed them all. 

But just before she disappeared into the foliage, Blue paused. Owen felt his heart fumble in its overwhelming hope. She turned her head to look at him, and with Owen’s enhanced sight, he caught a wink meant just for him.

In the next second, she was gone and Owen was alone.

No, not alone. Blue would find Zach, and she would bring him back.

 

* * *

 

Throat raw and fingers bloody, Zach didn’t have the energy to be startled when he heard heavy footfalls outside of the cave. He squeezed his eyes shut, head turned away, when the boulder was moved to the side and light crashed in uninvited. 

[Zach.] He heard an excited squeal, and his heart sped up.

As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, Zach turned his head to find a smattering of figures outlined by the sun and waterfall. Squinting, they came into focus.

Echo cooed and trotted forward, bumping the crown of her head into Zach’s chest. He stumbled back, hands immediately hugging her head to his chest in order to steady himself. He took in the raptors, eyes wide.

He opened his mouth to ask what they were doing here, where Owen was, but the words died on his tongue when he saw the large white dinosaur behind them, parting the waterfall on her back.

A cold, clammy hand grabbed onto Zach’s neck, and he let go of Echo, stepping away from her.

“Where’s Owen?” Zach asked weakly, eyes locking onto Blue’s. She didn’t respond. Oh God. “Where’s Alpha?” he asked, his voice cracking.

[I’m Alpha.]

Zach’s attention snapped to the white dinosaur. “No…”

[Hurt,] Echo cried, nudging forward to gently lick the blood away from Zach’s hands.

“Don’t touch me!” Zach yelled, jerking away from her. He returned to his attention to the new Alpha. “What did you do to him? Did you kill him?”

[Weak. Not worthy.]

“Is he _alive_?” Zach all but begged. 

The large white dinosaur held his eye for a long second before turning her back on him. [Beta. Guard.]

“Answer me!” Zach screamed, his voice echoing in the cave, muffled by the waterfall. 

Charlie and Delta followed the white dinosaur, their new Alpha, hesitantly. They chittered at Echo, who was less compelled to follow. She kept trying to sneak closer to Zach, to comfort him. 

[Go,] Blue commanded her. When Echo didn’t obey, the Beta roared and snapped her teeth at her sister.

With a sharp cry, Echo turned and ran after the others, through the waterfall and out of sight. 

The fury and fear churned into a dangerous cocktail deep inside Zach, and it made him brave, stupid. He turned it on the Beta. 

“How could you, Blue?” He yelled at her. The raptor’s eyes narrowed at him as he assaulted her delicate senses so close to her ears. “How could you let Owen just…” Zach choked on the word “ _die_.”

Blue paid him no mind, not showing that she heard him other than the narrowing of her eyes. She was vigilant, standing guard at the mouth of the cave, just behind the waterfall. Watching, listening, waiting. 

“Did you help her?” Zach asked, his tone dark, reckless. “Did you stand aside and watch? Did you even _try_ to help?”

Blue’s lips pulled back over her teeth, baring them, and in a blink, her head snapped in Zach’s direction, all those sharp teeth on display too close to him. Zach stumbled back. A low growl emanated from her as she finally turned those narrowed eyes onto him. 

[Careful. Alpha Mate respect Beta.]

“A lot of good that does me if the Alpha’s _dead_ ,” Zach snarled back. 

They stared each other down for a few more seconds before Blue huffed and turned away. [They are gone. Follow.]

Zach blinked at the sudden change, all animosity disappearing Blue’s voice and posture, to be replaced only with authority and determination. “What?”

[ _Follow_.]

He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t going anywhere, that she had no command over him, just to be contrary. But his brain caught up with him before he could prompt her to eat him. The white dinosaur hadn’t replaced the boulder over the mouth of the cave—she had left only a single raptor in charge of guarding him, Owen’s second-in-command, no less. And if Blue wanted to lead him out into the jungle, well…could the results really be that much worse than sticking around as a prisoner, waiting for who-knows-what and hoping to not get eaten? 

Maybe if he ran, he could forget for a moment. 

“Where?”

Blue gave him a brief look before taking off sharply to the left, not passing beyond the waterfall. She was leaving the decision for him to make. 

Zach chanced a glance down at his bloody fingers, before clenching his hands into fists and following. At the mouth of the cave, he could see that there was a ledge connecting the grass on the side of the river to cave, underneath the waterfall. It was wet and slippery, and while Blue had been able to run across it with ease, Zach’s shoes squeaked and his hands took purchase along the rocky wall as he slowly made his way across.  

Once he had reached the grass, away from the water, the adrenaline was almost overwhelmingly loud in his ears. His eyes surveyed the surroundings vigilantly, looking for other hostile dinosaurs. 

A whistle drew his attention to Blue, waiting for him amongst the trees. 

[To Alpha,] Blue said, and Zach barely heard her over his own pulse. He took a step forward. 

“He’s alive?” his voice cracked. 

[Only way to find you unharmed.]

They were still loyal to Owen…they hadn’t fallen under the white dinosaur’s spell. All this just to find Zach…

For better or worse, he followed the raptor.

 

* * *

 

Blue led Zach back to the park, going slow enough for him to keep up. When they reached the outskirts of the main plaza—of the tourist shopping district—his lungs were screaming and his legs burned. It took a minute for him to notice the rampage of loose dinosaurs, of the pterodactyls and other winged creatures swooping down from the sky to kill tourists, of the screams and mass chaos of the mob of humans. 

[Close,] Blue told Zach. He assumed she could sense Owen through a pack bond, or could catch a trace of his scent, but he didn’t question it too intently. As long as she was on Owen’s side, he would trust her. 

Together, Zach and Blue waded toward the crowd. People would shriek and part for them as soon as they noticed the raptor. Blue snarled here and there to keep their path clear, for those who were too distracted to notice her. Zach kept his hand on Blue’s neck, at the back of her head, to keep from being separated from her in the rush of bodies.

[Alpha.]

Zach followed Blue’s line of sight and found Owen with Claire and Gray. The burden holding him down lifted, and Zach felt almost weightless as he gazed upon his family, safe. 

Claire wielded a rifle, and shot down any flying dinosaurs that came too close. He’d never considered her a badass before, but Zach allowed himself to be impressed at his aunt. 

The raptor and the boy steadily made their way through the chaos toward them, toward Owen. 

Ice replaced the fire that had previously been propelling Zach forward, his mission frozen mid-step, as Claire shot down a pterodactyl and then turned to Owen, drawing him close and kissing him in one fluid motion. 

An illness crept up from the pit of his stomach, rising higher and higher until it tightened his grip on Blue’s neck as well as around his own lungs. 

He felt more than heard the rumble of Blue’s growl, vibrating his whole body, this body that could drift away into the atmosphere, into nothingness. 

The universe, the dinosaurs, everything had been trying to open Zach up, to get him to hope again, to believe that someone finally gave a damn about him. And as soon as he allowed himself to, it reminded him that he should have known better.

He watched—so close and yet a thousand miles away—as Owen’s body stilled and then jerked away from Claire, his eyes immediately seeking out and finding Zach’s. They were wide, his mouth falling open, hand still gripping Claire’s arm. 

Zach should have known better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I can explain. 
> 
> I really have been working on this chapter since my last update in May.
> 
> It has not been a pretty ride. 
> 
> And yet here we are. 
> 
> Forgive me fam, for I--well, I haven't sinned yet, but y'all just wait until chapter 11 rolls around...
> 
> And trust me, it will be rolling around. Along with an entire bottle of wine. 
> 
> Just know that this shitstorm ain't over yet. And I'm gonna be there till the end of the line.

**9.**

A cold clarity washed over Zach as he understood. Perhaps, somewhere, he had known all along. Owen had been confused by the mix of Zach’s arousal for him and his Alpha instincts to protect the young, weak relative of his mate Claire. That was why Owen had been hot and cold—he’d been confused.

The cruelty of the universe made Zach want to laugh, but he couldn’t find the energy.

Claire was a far better, more logical fit for the older man. She was strong and intelligent, clearly capable of defending herself. She commanded respect, had more confidence than Zach would know what to do with—she knew what she wanted and she went for it. Claire was formidable. And female. Zach figured something like that (biological children) would matter to an Alpha male.

And so Zach swallowed his disappointment with a skill built throughout the years, knowing that hurt feelings would do no one any good, especially here and now. They could wait. They were used to that.

The much sought-after and familiar meditative state of numb indifference comforted him in a way that nothing else in his life ever could, and he met Owen’s eyes across the crowd.

Everyone got what they wanted.

* * *

Owen had expected tears or anger, had braced himself for it. He hadn’t been prepared for the void, expressionless face, the relaxed stance, the scent of complete resignation. The fight fled from Zach, and Owen could sense how tired Zach truly was behind the mask of apathy.

Blue growled viciously beside Zach, startling Owen. He noticed with dread that her eyes were on Claire. Would she try to attack the redhead, even as the woman wasn’t afraid to wield a gun?

“Don’t do that, Blue,” Zach said, voice carrying to Owen’s ears, the boy regaining his attention. “She’s your Alpha’s mate. You shouldn’t growl at her.”

Owen swore he could feel his heart breaking. Blue’s attention turned to Owen, and she looked downright mutinous. If Zach wasn’t going to be angry, then the raptor would be plenty furious for the both of them.

“Zach,” Claire called out, her voice strained as she kept her eyes and her gun trained on the deadly creature beside her nephew. “Zach, come here.”

Blue snarled. [Dare to command Alpha Mate?]

Owen took a cautious step forward, hand reaching out blindly to Claire, trying to stave off a shot. “Claire, put that thing away before you accidentally shoot someone.”

“Zach, get away from that thing,” Claire instructed, voice and body wound tight, spitefully ignoring Owen’s attempt to command her.

Blue growled in response.

“She’s not a _thing_ ,” Zach objected. “Her name is Blue and she rescued me.”

“From the Indominous Rex?” Claire asked, eyebrows high in disbelief.

“Is that her name?” Zach asked.

“It’s what she is,” Claire clarified.

Owen watched as Zach inched unconsciously away, drifting out to sea.

Before the man could stop him, Gray ran past Owen and straight into Zach, wrapping his older brother tightly in his arms, as if to anchor him.

Blue rumbled in warning, but Zach held up a placating hand to let Blue know it was okay, before he returned Gray’s hug tentatively, with loose arms and light hands.

Owen didn’t fail to notice how Blue still looked like she would attack anything and anyone at Zach’s word. He would have let himself marvel over this longer had Zach not looked a thousand miles away, even as his brother latched onto him.

Sharp raptor eyes froze Owen’s steps from attempting to get any closer to the three. Owen held his hands up in surrender, one hand holding his rifle.

“Blue,” Owen said imploringly. “Zach.” His eyes shifted to the boy, Zach staring back at him with cool eyes, back straight and chin tilted upward.

He stood like someone who knew he had a Beta raptor on his side. Like someone with nothing left to lose.

The tense situation was broken when a deafening roar shook the ground, preceding the emergence of the white dinosaur—the Indominous Rex—in the dramatically dwindling population of the central plaza.

“Shit,” Owen breathed out.

There were inhuman, high-pitched screeches to accompany the screams of tourists trampling over each other. The avian dinosaurs fled in much the same way, realizing immediately the hierarchical positions on the food chain in this area of the park.

Claire gripped Owen’s arm tightly. “Owen, please tell me your raptors aren’t _loose_ in this crowd.”

“They’re not loose,” Zach answered instead, eyes trying to scan for the other three raptors. “They’re with _that_ one.” He pointed to the Indominous.

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

Without warning, Zach hugged Gray close to his body, ducking his head to rest on his younger brother’s. It was the strongest hug Gray had ever received from Zach, and it brought tears to his eyes for a reason he couldn’t identify. It was so sincere, and yet so…final…

“Gray, Aunt Claire…I’m sorry,” Zach said, pulling his head away from Gray’s.

“Zach…?” Claire asked, dread filling her voice.

His eyes strayed to meet Owen’s. The older man felt Zach’s actions in his bones only a second before the boy disentangled himself from Gray’s arms, a second before he turned and ran through the crowd, Blue hot on his heels. In the direction of the Indominous…

A shout tore out of Owen’s mouth before he even registered it. His instincts screamed at him, knowing his mate was choosing to run away from him and to certain death. But they also remembered the look Zach gave him, with defeated but determined eyes, jaw set strongly. Owen gave into his instincts without a second thought, keeping hold of the shotgun in his hand and embracing the chase his mate had initiated.

There was little crowd left, but what there was created a wall as it pushed and stampeded away from the Indominous. Blue wiggled her way in front of Zach, and the crowd parted like the red sea for her as she led Zach through with ease. Owen, on the other hand, had to force his way through the current, wading in the wrong direction. He could barely hear the screams of Claire and Gray over the general chaos. He kept his eyes trained on Zach to avoid losing the teen.

The Indominous roared again, and Owen watched Zach stumble in the aftershocks. The boy and Blue were out of the crowd, but if he fell, he would be such easy, easy prey. Easier than he already was. Fear and the overwhelming need to protect fueled Owen until he was out of the crowd and running toward the now-still form of Zach, back turned to him. He slowed his momentum before pulling Zach firmly against him, hugging Zach’s back to his front with one sturdy arm wrapped around his torso. The gun was gripped securely in his other hand, hanging at his side.

Owen ducked his head, resting his face and mouth against the crown of Zach’s soft hair—still damp from whatever he had gone through earlier to escape, and curling in the tropical humidity—tickling him as he breathed in the scent of his mate.

Zach froze beneath Owen, thus causing Owen to freeze in turn.

“Give a guy some warning next time before you touch him,” Zach said, his voice small but attempting nonchalance.

Owen loosened his grip but didn’t let go, eyes rising to lock on to the Indominous. The white monstrosity was staring them down several yards away, the remaining three raptors at her side. Only Blue stood with Owen and Zach. “I’m just glad you’re alive,” he breathed into Zach’s hair, close to his ear.

For a second, it felt like Zach was going to bolt, but he surprised Owen by leaning back into the older man’s chest instead. His hands came to rest gently on the arm that was wrapped around his torso.

“I’m glad you’re alive too, A- _Owen_.”

At the near-slip, Zach pulled himself out of Owen’s arms and away from the man, away from the comfort he so desperately desired. But he didn’t need it, and it would only make everything hurt worse if he continued to accept it or seek it out. At least if he didn’t have it to begin with, it couldn’t be ripped away from him.

The Indominous stared down at them, pierced Zach’s soul with her ancient eyes—ancient and yet so young, younger than him. Ready to die. Not like this.

“Not like this,” he whispered to her.

In response, she roared and reached a giant claw to him, knocking him away. It wasn’t hard, didn’t hurt as much as it could have. He was flung a few feet and landed on his side, breath stolen from his lungs, but otherwise very much intact.

But it was enough to incite Owen and his pack into action, the three raptors beside the Indominous turning on her simultaneously. She’d pushed Zach out of the way so he wouldn’t get hurt, because while she was determined to die, the Indominous wasn’t going out without a fight, and she had a specific dislike of the humanoid Alpha in front of her.

“No!” Zach screamed, but he couldn’t get air into his lungs, and nothing came out. He tried to get up, but fell back down again.

Zach watched from the ground as the raptors relentlessly attacked the Indominous, and no matter how many times they were flung off, how hurt they got, they didn’t stop. They were driven by something Zach couldn’t understand, and once his eyes found Owen’s figure, he couldn’t look away.

It was entrancing, mesmerizing.

He had seen hints of it before, of course—several times. Had seen those claws and fangs up close and personal once, but this… The skin around Owen’s yellow reptilian eyes was scaly and blue, his fangs dripped with venom, the skin of his hands and forearms held those same blue scales. He moved inhumanly. Zach half expected him to grow a tail, for his face to elongate into a snout. But it didn’t. He remained with a human shape, but so clearly not wholly human.

Zach shuddered at what Owen might look like up close in this state.

Once his body had gotten over the shock of the fall, Zach managed to stand. “Stop!” he screamed. Out of his peripherals, he saw orange. He snapped his head to the side to find that Claire and Gray had joined to watch the battle, eyes frozen on Owen. Claire hadn’t known—Zach could tell by the plain horror on her face, the way her hands rose to cover her mouth. Zach had known (some semblance of knowledge, some mockery of it) and yet Claire hadn’t? Owen had spared his mate the truth?

The raptors’ screeching returned Zach’s attention to the fight. Delta was down, gashes in her side, barely breathing. Charlie was hobbling, and kept stumbling. Echo, Blue, and Owen continued, but their numbers were dwindling, and they were so small in comparison to the Indominous.

Zach wanted to run to them so badly, wanted to stop them, but instead he turned and headed in the opposite direction, toward Claire and Gray. “Aunt Claire,” he said once he’d reached them, grasping her forearms. “Aunt Claire,” he repeated, shaking her a little to break her from her daze. Her wide eyes found him. “You need to get help. We need to do something.”

It didn’t matter who Owen’s mate was, didn’t matter whether he was a part of that pack or not. Zach couldn’t stand by and watch them all die, watch Owen die.

“Get help,” Gray repeated quietly at Claire’s side. Zach’s eyes slid down to him. “Like…like another dinosaur?”

That was the last thing they needed, but it sounded better than humans with guns. With prying eyes that would see Owen as he was clearly not meant to be seen.

“Anything,” Zach admitted.

It took a minute, but Claire nodded slowly, her eyes finally starting to clear from their dazed and horrified expression. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” She was coming back to herself. Claire looked between her nephews. “Zach, you take Gray and you get somewhere safe. And you don’t come out until I tell you to, okay? What I’m about to do is dangerous and stupid and the only option left.”

“What, no—”

“Gray, do not argue with me. We don’t have time. Just do as I say. You two stay together, out of sight, somewhere safe. Lock the doors, in a windowless room. Arm yourselves.” At this, Claire handed Zach the shotgun that had been slung over her back with a strap.

Zach held it like it was poisonous.

“I can’t—”

“You _can_ , Zach,” Claire said, looking him in the eyes. “I believe in you, both of you. We are going to make it through this in one piece, and then I am never letting either of you out of my sight again. Got it? Now go, barricade yourself somewhere until this is all over.”

Claire took off in a run, without a look back.

Zach and Gray watched her go. 

* * *

They had just entered a small supply room in the large main facility—far enough away from the current battle—when Zach turned to Gray and handed him the shotgun. “The safety’s off, I think. Just…don’t shoot yourself. Or, you know, me.”

“What are you giving _me_ the gun for?” Gray cried out, eyes nearly bulging from his head, face appalled.

“I love you, Gray.”

That stopped Gray short. “What?” he asked quietly.

“I’m sorry I never told you that before,” Zach said, hand on Gray’s head softly.

“Zach…” Gray started, voice breaking, eyes clouding. “What are you…”

“I’ll see you on the other side, Goober,” Zach said, lips pulled up in a lopsided smile, his own eyes glossy.

Before Gray could stop him, Zach was out of the supply room, and the doorknob wasn’t opening for Gray.

“No! Zach! Let me out! Come back here Zach!” Gray cried out, holding the gun as far from him as he could with one hand, and jiggling the doorknob with the other, pushing and pulling and twisting. “Please! Zach! _Zach!_ ”

His sobs came loudly, racking his body violently, and Gray threw himself away from the door, back against the opposite wall. He heaved, sliding to the dusty cement floor. He screamed for Zach until his throat was raw, not caring what could hear him. Not caring about anything in the world except that his brother was gone.

His mind returned to that earlier hug.

* * *

Heart thundering in his chest and throat and ears, Zach returned outside, wiping his eyes furiously. The battle raged on, except Echo was gone, Charlie was down, and the Indominous was hardly winded.

Zach ran toward them at a full sprint, screaming. “No! Stop!”

The only one who visibly noticed Zach’s presence was Owen. The man flinched and then froze, before his golden eyes locked onto Zach’s very vulnerable figure.

When the Indominous turned her attention to Zach, the teen watched as Owen scrambled frantically, managing to rake bloody claws across the white monster’s face. She screeched and shook him off. Owen went tumbling to the ground, rolling on impact, landing in a crouch. He had blinded her in one eye, Zach could tell. Knew.

[Run!] Owen roared at him. Honest to God roared at him. And Zach understood it.

But he didn’t obey.

“Stop, please, it isn’t too late. It’s not too late. You can stop this!” Zach cried out to the Indominous, pleading with her. “No one else has to die.”

[We all die.]

He couldn’t tell if it was a fact or a threat, but it didn’t matter. There came another roaring from out of sight, approaching steadily, and in the next blink Owen was in front of Zach, grabbing on to him.

“Wha—”

He was swung into thick, semi-scaly arms with ease, and Owen ran too fast, away from what was about to be carnage. Zach saw the other dinosaur the moment it entered, would recognize it anywhere, even with his limited knowledge.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Led by Claire.

That was all he could see. Owen stopped once behind a building, huddling Zach up against the wall, arms caged around him. It was reminiscent of a memory best left forgotten, except this time, Owen was pressed firmly against Zach from head to toe, trapping him completely. He couldn’t even move—Owen was like solid stone against him, keeping him there. Away from the finale.

He heard the screeches and roars and screams. Zach clutched onto Owen’s waist, digging his fingers in. He shut his eyes and buried his face in Owen’s chest, trying to drown out the awful noises, the reality of what was happening. He couldn’t stop it. He’d never been able to stop it. It was always going to lead to this, one way or another.

The Indominous had wanted the end-all fight, and she was getting one.

“Let me go, Owen, let me go, please. Please Owen, God, Owen please.” It was a chant that streamed from Zach’s lips almost subconsciously, a plea that tumbled out like water. Begging for Owen to release him, even as he held on tighter to him. His mind briefly wandered to Gray, to how Gray had begged the same of him, how he’d left his brother alone and afraid.

Zach was so selfish, so cruel. He didn’t deserve Owen.

Regardless, Zach clutched onto the older man, leaning into him, as he choked on a dry sob.

There was one last ear-splitting roar, a thundering of steps, and then an eerie quiet.

Zach opened his eyes and looked up. Owen was human once more, his reptilian side fading with the decrease of threat. Jade eyes met Zach’s, so so close. So impossibly close. Too close. Too quiet.

He took his opportunity and bolted out of Owen’s human hold, catching the man by surprise.

“Zach!”

Rounding the building, Zach ran until he was caught from behind, strong, human arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist, holding him to a broad chest. Zach struggled, clawing at the arms with his hands, trying to kick the shins of his keeper.

His eyes on the large, prone white form several yards away.

“Zach!” came the voices of Claire and Gray. Either she had found him, or he’d managed to get out, Zach didn’t know. Gray was clever, so was Claire. They were both so smart. How did they end up saddled with someone like Zach?

“Let me go, let me go.” Zach struggled against the hold on him, voice breaking as he gazed upon the Indominous, lying on the ground, eyes closed, breaths shallow. So much blood marring her white hide.

[Alpha,] Echo cooed, before nudging her muzzle against Owen’s leg. She smeared blood on his pants. Owen didn’t care. He took stock of his pack—Echo was bloody, but not much of it seemed to be her own. Charlie was huddled over Delta, licking her sister’s wounds gently, too weak to stand on her own legs. The pair of them looked troubling. Blue trotted over to Owen and Zach carefully, a long stripe of red running the length of the blue on her back, from head to tail. She stopped a few feet away, regarding her Alpha and his mate with sharp eyes.

Owen looked at his pack, injured and bloody but alive, still alive. It was a miracle.

Blue gave him a curt nod, eyes flying to Zach.

Owen, against his instincts and better judgment, released his mate. He watched the boy stumble forward before running toward the white dinosaur. His pack’s eyes were trained on the boy, Blue and Echo’s stances stiff and ready to defend and protect if need be.

Zach crumbled to the ground in front of the Indominous’s eyes. She was lying on her side, and her good eye faced him. Kneeling, he leant his hand out to softly settle on the scales of her cheek.

“Indie,” he said.

The dinosaur’s eye opened, focusing on him.

[Indie?] she wheezed.

Zach nodded. “Your name. You deserve a name.”

She blinked. [Indie,] she acknowledged.

“You’re going to get your peace, your freedom,” Zach whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder, his voice would crack, that his aunt and brother would overhear. His words weren’t meant for them. “No one is ever going to hurt you or control you again.”

[Free.]

“Yes,” Zach agreed, stroking her scales softly. “Yes, free.”

[Zach free?]

Zach gave her a soft smile, trying to reassure her. “Soon.”

[Kill?]

Zach was silent.

[Run?]

“Don’t worry, Indie. Don’t worry. You’re free now, and I’m going to be free soon too. We’ll both be free.”

Her good eye focused on him, before closing again. [Zach,] she wheezed, one last time.

The massive body underneath his hand stilled, and Zach didn’t realize she was dead until several seconds later.

A warm body, soft with curves, pulled him against her, but Zach’s eyes were on Indie, his mind on Indie. He shook in Claire’s arms as she rubbed his back, trying to sooth him. “Why?” he asked, his voice coming out as shaky as his body.

“Shh, it’s okay now Zach. You’re safe.”

Zach tore himself away from Claire with a cry. “Why did you have to kill her? We-We could have tried to save her, to help her.”

Claire’s mouth fell open. “She…Zach, you can’t be serious.”

“You saw the damage, Zach,” Owen said, stepping in, standing beside Claire. A united front against him. “She wasn’t going to stop.”

“Zach, she was a mistake,” Claire consoled.

_You were a mistake._

“No…She didn’t ask to be made like this! You did this to her!”

“She _chose_ to kill,” Owen said. “No one made her do that.”

“She felt she had no other choice. She was only reacting to what everyone did to her since she was born.”

“Zach, she was a monster,” Claire said. “You need to understand we did what was best, what was right.”

_Please! I’ll be good! I promise._

A cold fear trickled through Zach, tears finally falling. He shook his head, swallowing. “You couldn’t control her, that’s what this was. She just wanted to be free. You forced her to this.”

Claire’s shoulders set. She tried to keep her voice soft and placating. “That thing was an engineered animal created in a lab, unnatural. She was never going to be free.”

_You aren’t even human. You’re an abomination._

“You didn’t even try! When things got hard, you killed her, not because it was what was right, but what was easiest! Easier than living with your actions and accepting the consequences,” Zach shouted, hands balled up into fists.

Blue and Echo started closing in, slowly creeping toward the humans, caught up in Zach’s emotional state.

“Zach…where is this coming from? What’s wrong?”

“She was what you wanted!” Zach screamed through his tears, shaking like a leaf in the wind. “What you asked for! Just because you were the one to give her life, it doesn’t mean you had the right to take it away.”

Claire’s voice was gentle, face growing rapidly concerned, mixing terribly with her confusion. “She was an animal, Zach… Animals can’t change what they are.”

“But I can! I promise I’ll be better!” Zach cried before he could stop himself.

Everything stilled, and no one dared to break the sudden calm by even breathing.

Zach realized what he’d said, face morphing in horror. He took a step back as his eyes flitted over all of their faces in rapid succession, realizing that they’d heard.

“Oh God,” Claire whispered. She was not a dim woman.

The raptors smelled the sudden blinding distress from Zach, and Echo trotted the rest of the way to his side, to nudge her head gently against his abdomen and coo softly, offering her comfort.

“Zach,” Owen took a step forward, reaching his hand out to his mate.

The boy jerked away, face still horrified, tears drying on his cheeks. “Don’t touch me!”

At his tone, Blue joined his side as well, showing her teeth to Owen, to her Alpha.

[Alpha Mate hurt,] Blue warned.

“I know… Let me help,” Owen reasoned.

[Alpha hurt him more,] Blue snarled. [Needs pack, not you.]

Owen recoiled as if slapped, but didn’t let it deter him for long. “Blue, stand down,” he commanded, his tone not offering resistance. “As your Alpha, _stand_ _down_.”

“Zach…” Claire began. She cleared her throat before trying again, eyes flickering between the raptors and Zach in quick succession. “Sweetie, whatever it is, whatever’s happened, you can tell us. We can help you.”

Zach shook his head. “You don’t understand,” he said, voice cracking. “I can’t be helped.”

“That’s not true,” Claire said.

Throat clogged with all the words he couldn’t say, Zach shook his head again, nothing coming out of his parted lips. His eyes caught Gray’s, his younger brother half-hidden behind Claire, face scared but inquisitive, concentrated. Zach couldn’t stand it, couldn’t stand that look—like Gray was finally figuring out the poorly-concealed mystery. Everything had unravelled on this God-forsaken island.

He watched, blinking his vision into focus, adrenaline pumping through his veins, as Gray struggled around Claire, stepping toward Zach.

Blue rumbled low in her throat in warning, and Gray stopped, shivering but determined. Zach could see it in his eyes.

“Remember when we were in the Gyrosphere?” Gray asked Zach, his tone sturdy and lingering in the empty night air. His intelligent eyes shifted between Blue standing guard in front of Zach, to Echo leaning against Zach, to Delta and Charlie that were a couple yards away, but still alert, eyes watching. “And you said that if I’d wanted to, I could have figured out what was going on a long time ago.” Gray returned his eyes to Zach. “But I didn’t want to. Do you remember that?”

Zach nodded, not trusting his voice to speak without cracking. 

“I think I can see what it is that I was missing,” Gray said.

A humorless half-smile pulled at Zach’s lips, not meeting his eyes. “Do you?” he asked, and his tone spoke that there was far more beyond what Gray thought he had uncovered. It gave his brother pause.

Owen couldn’t stand watching his mate in such misery, a noticeable wall between him and his family, the people who cared about him. He tried to step toward Zach once more, but both Blue and Claire snapped at him this time.

Blue growled, baring her teeth, and Claire turned to point her gun at Owen.

“Don’t even think about getting near either of my nephews, Owen. I don’t know what I saw earlier, but I know that I saw it. You want to tell us _exactly_ what is going on, what you _are_?”

Owen clenched his jaw, lips thinning as they pressed against each other. His eyes stayed on Zach’s, but he was very aware of the hostiles threatening to keep him from his mate, especially when one of them was his Beta. His Alpha instincts flared—his mate was in distress, they had just survived a great danger, and he needed his mate in his arms, damn it. He struggled to suppress his primal nature, particularly when Zach tilted his head back, intentionally baring his throat in submission, eyes half-lidded, lips parting to mouth the word “Alpha” to him.

Sharp ragged breaths as his hands curled into fists. His eyes narrowed at his mate’s taunting and teasing, at his underhanded attempt to coax a supernatural reaction out of him, to give Claire a reason to scream.

Zach wanted Owen to know he wasn’t afraid of him, man or beast. Could the same be said for the rest of their present company?

The two stared each other down, until finally Zach broke it. In his distraught whirlwind of emotions, he felt a smug satisfaction that he knew more, had _seen_ more, of Owen than Claire had. But he didn’t have enough energy to gloat, to start something. This wasn’t important right now, and he had to come to grips with that. Zach swallowed down his emotions, shoved them aside and locked them up and tried to regain that calm he was so damn bad at keeping.

Zach rubbed Echo on the snout briefly before peeling himself away. He made his way to Charlie and Delta. Charlie bared her teeth at Zach in warning, but there was no real threat behind it. She just wanted to protect Delta, was just worried about her sister.

Zach knelt down beside them. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. How you holding up, Delta?”

Blue joined him, Echo directly behind her. The sisters licked each others’ wounds, cooing softly.

[Hurt.]

Zach looked to Charlie as he reached his hand out, waiting for her permission. Charlie huffed and dipped her head in approval.

He stroked Delta’s head gently.

“Zach!” Claire cried out.

The teen peered over his shoulder to look at the other three. “We can talk about whatever the hell Owen is mixed up in later. We can even talk about whatever the hell is wrong with _me_ later. But right now, we need to help the raptors. I’m not going anywhere until they’re treated and better.”

Zach returned his attention to the raptors. He felt rather than saw or heard the presence of Owen as he approached. All of the raptors perked up at the proximity of their Alpha, despite whatever displeasure Blue and even Echo might have felt for him in that moment.

Owen knelt down next to Zach. “What good girls you all were. Charlie, I’m gonna pick up Delta now, okay?”

Charlie stood on shaky legs and hobbled a few steps to the side before leaning against Echo for support.

Owen reached forward, wrapped his arms around Delta, and lifted her up as he stood. Delta groaned in pain. “You’re okay, Delta. You’re gonna be just fine.”

[Alpha,] she breathed, relaxing into Owen’s arms, closing her eyes. She trusted her Alpha to look after her—to heal her and keep her safe.

“What can I do to help?” Zach asked, standing up beside Owen.

They needed to talk, Owen knew with a terrible, heavy sense of dread, but now was neither the time nor the place. Not with an audience and an injured pack, out in the open.

“Whatever you do, keep your aunt from shooting my girls,” Owen instructed, flashing his Alpha eyes at Zach for only a second out of habit—he always did it to his pack when he wanted them to know his orders were serious and not to be questioned. “They listen to you, trust you. I want you to prove you’re worthy of it—not to me, but to them. Got it?”

Zach nodded. “Got it.”

Owen opened his mouth, eyes searching Zach’s, softening.

“Don’t,” Zach said, tone cold and expression hardening. “This is about _them,_ ” he said resolutely, jerking his head towards the raptors. Zach stepped away from the older man.

“Claire, grab the truck,” Owen instructed her with his human eyes.

The redhead seemed ready to argue, but as she looked at Owen and her nephews and the raptors, she decided against it. For now. “Fine, but Owen? This conversation is far from over.”

Owen sighed heavily. “Yeah, I know.”

Claire nodded in half-satisfaction. “Zach, Gray, come with me.”

“I’m staying,” Zach said.

“No. I’m not leaving you or your brother alone with the dinosaurs, or with Owen. Not until we get to the bottom of all this,” Claire said.

Zach found that, even in the sudden exhaustion and the maelstrom of feelings that threatened a desired apathetic state, defiance came easily to him.

“Aunt Claire, all due respect, but in case you didn’t notice, Delta is bleeding out in Owen’s arms, and Charlie is about to crumple; time is an issue. Right now, I don’t care if you don’t trust Owen or the raptors—I do. I’m not scared of them, I’m not in danger of them, and while I can appreciate your desire to protect Gray and I, we’re safe in their company. Don’t you see that we are all on the same side?” Zach reasoned with his aunt.

Claire stared at him for a minute, before relenting. “Owen, if anything happens to Zach while I’m gone, I will personally castrate you,” Claire said, not censoring herself in front of her nephews. “Gray, come with me.”

Gray looked like he wanted to protest, wanted to stay with the others, but Zach nodded at him to go. With reluctance and Claire pulling his hand, Gray and his aunt ran in the direction of the truck.

Owen and Zach began a slow pace in the same direction, the former careful not to jostle the resting raptor in his arms. Echo kept pace beside Zach, Blue taking lead, vigilant and watchful for any other dangers that might lurk up. Charlie hobbled in between Owen and Zach, a protected position.

“I’m sorry I can’t carry you too, Charlie,” Zach said, looking down at the raptor.

Echo bumped into his leg gently, cooing at him. Charlie looked up at him and sniffed before turning her attention back to the path ahead of them.

They walked in silence for a minute.

“Thank you,” Owen eventually broke it.

The silence resumed, nearly drowning them until tires squealed and a truck was in front of them. Claire hopped out and opened the doors to the back of the truck for Owen. Blue and Echo jumped inside. Owen gently set Delta down on the cold floor of the truck, before helping Charlie in. He climbed in after them, intent on spending the trek with his pack. Zach, eyes avoiding contact with any of them, headed to the cab without a word.

He sat beside Gray, and once Claire joined at the wheel, they drove off. Zach closed his eyes and pretended to forget. He wished he had his headphones on him.

* * *

They sat waiting outside the operating room in Vet Building B, Zach and Gray and Claire. She had managed to call in any remaining vets left on the island to attend to Delta and Charlie (the surgeons couldn’t be expected to operate on dinosaurs over the injured human guests). Owen and the other two raptors were outside—the vets agreed to help the the more seriously injured raptors only if said raptors were heavily sedated, and any able-bodied dinosaurs were to be kept far away from them. They had all agreed—Owen wasn’t going to argue with anyone who promised to save his pack, and had the credentials and good morals to do so. But he also wasn’t going to let Blue or Echo be caged up, sedated improperly, or left to roam the island alone. 

Half an hour had come and gone, and while Gray was falling asleep against Claire’s side, the woman had a haunted look that she turned to Zach every so often. He could feel the inevitable conversation on the tip of her tongue, before she would swallow it down and look away. But like the steady rhythm Zach’s foot drummed out against the linoleum flooring of the makeshift waiting room, this pattern was only going to continue on for so longer before it stuttered and was eventually broken.

Zach stood. Like Hell would that happen.

“I need some fresh air,” he announced, before powering out of the room with purpose, just short of running.

He knew Claire wouldn’t follow him, not with Gray resting against her.

He half dared her to.

Outside, the air was just as stuffy and humid and unbearable, but at least there was a light breeze from the ocean. Zach clung to that and took large, deep breaths, trying to calm himself so that he didn’t do something stupid, like run off alone. Again.

There was a rustle nearby and Zach jumped, just as he had gotten himself calm. He swung around to find Owen standing there, staring at him with wide eyes, hands raising peacefully.

“Hey, just me. Just me,” he said slowly.

Zach’s hand rose to cover his racing heart. His eyes glanced around, but Owen was right, it was just him—at least that he could see. With a nod, Zach turned around, ready to head in any direction that Owen was not.

“Hey, wait.”

He kept walking, heard the crunch of gravel behind him. The teen walked faster, further away from the dinosaur clinic, away from Claire and Gray, urging his sore and worn legs to just take him away from everything.

“Zach—”

“Stop. There’s nothing to say,” Zach said, not breaking his stride. He saw a hint of blue, imagined it was coming closer.

“No, we are having this conversation, whether you like it or not. We _need_ to.”

“Do we?” Zach finally stopped, spinning around to face the older man, his jaw set and eyes narrowed, fists clenched. Owen stopped abruptly, a foot or two away, so that he wouldn’t run into the boy. “Things are pretty clear on my side of the island, and I’d rather not know further details. You were confused, I was a horny teenager who read way too much into it, and that’s all any of it was. A _mistake,_ ” he stressed. “End of story.”

“That’s not—”

“Not what?” Zach cut Owen off, not wanting to hear his honey excuses, or even worse, his own thoughts and theories confirmed. “Not true? Not a mistake? Do I need to spell it out? God, I was so _stupid_.”

Owen opened his mouth to start talking, to try to step closer, but Zach stumbled away and held up a hand, pointing at him angrily. He was not done yet, not ready yet.

“How far would we have gone if you hadn’t stopped us at that abandoned outpost, Owen? Would you have had sex with me, knowing that Claire was your mate, just because you could? Would you have even felt bad about it afterwards? About letting me think that you and I… About using me and then dismissing me like garbage?

The older man’s mouth fell open in shock. “Whoa, hold on. Claire is—”

“Have you slept with her?”

Owen jerked back from whiplash. “What?” he asked, mouth dry, hands dry. He was a desert.

“That’s not an answer,” Zach said, waiting, staring into Owen’s eyes in anger, in defiance. In rejection.

“It was a long time ago…”

“How long ago? A month? A week? What exactly constitutes ‘a long time’ for a man like you?” Zach asked, spitting out the words.

Owen’s eyes narrowed. “A man like me? What are you implying?”

“You know exactly what I’m saying.”

“No, no. I want the full picture of your accusations. I want to know exactly what you think of me, since it sounds like you’ve got a lot of thoughts,” Owen said, squaring his shoulders back. It had taken him a minute of surprise, but he was ready for this fight, this challenge.

Zach was too keyed up to think better of it, running on adrenaline and risk and sudden nihilism. “A beast fueled by his dick, just looking to get it wet, and hey? Why not on a desperate seventeen-year-old freak who can talk to animals? Was I easy prey? Someone so worthless and just as inhuman, that you didn’t even spare me a second thought? Just give me a taste, here and there, to make me know what it feels like to actually be wanted, and then remove yourself to laugh about it later? Was it purely for the amusement?” His words were meant to be hurt, came out of his mouth without even traveling through his head first. Zach could feel the sting of tears burning at the back of his eyes, which just made him even angrier.

Owen was at a loss, the energy he’d built up to combat the challenge stilted, as his mind tried to catch up with Zach’s words.

“You had to have known Claire was your mate. You slept with her. How could you just use me like that? How could you be so cruel? Indie and Blue both believed it…they made _me_ believe it, the possibility that _I_ could be your mate. That was the worst part. It’s nothing to you, I’m just some fucking nobody you kissed once, but to me… to me…”

Owen clambered forward and drew Zach into his arms, despite the boy’s protests and venom. His voice had caught and broken and Owen could smell the salt of oncoming tears and could take it no longer. Enough had kept him from holding this boy, and nothing was stopping him now.

Zach flinched as Owen drew him up in his arms, and it reminded him of that night on the beach. He’d flinched then, too. He hadn’t so much as blinked when Owen had been fangs and claws, but when he seemed human…

In Zach’s world, monsters didn’t have sharp teeth and claws, tails and scales. They had blunt teeth and short nails, walked on two legs, and looked like him.

“I never meant to hurt you, Zach.”

The boy pulled away, eyes cast to the side. “And yet you keep doing it, and I keep letting you, no matter how I feel afterwards or what I say, because I’m just a stupid kid.”

“Zach, no, you are not a stupid kid,” Owen said, trying to get the boy to look at him. His stomach dropped when his answer was a humorless laugh and a shake of his head.

Brown eyes found jade once more, but Owen noticed the Zach’s eyes were wrong. His instincts screamed at him, and he tried to think of what he could be missing.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Owen. I’m done. I don’t want you.” He started moving away. “Don’t touch me again, and don’t pretend like you give a shit.”

Zach turned and continued walking away, and Owen watched him go. The man realized he hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell Zach how wrong he was about everything. He got a feeling that the boy wasn't about to give him that chance before he left forever. He was such an idiot.

Owen met Blue’s eyes where she was hidden in shrubbery as he began making his way back. It was time to finally come clean to Claire and hope that she didn’t skin him on the spot. And then maybe she would help him fix this absolute mess.

It was an endless cycle of Owen fucking up and Zach paying the price.


End file.
